MUSKOGEE, OK – A brazen 2021 armed robbery in Cherokee County landed three Tahlequah residents in federal prison Wednesday, with sentences ranging from four to ten years. Kody Fields, age 24, Fvs-Chvtv Amos Lawhead, age 30, and Jimmy Dale Brown, age 31, all faced justice for their roles in the violent crime, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The July 24, 2021 robbery saw the trio confront a victim, opening fire and demanding cash, a cell phone, a firearm, and the victim’s vehicle. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives quickly launched an investigation that ultimately led to the arrests and convictions of all three men.
Jimmy Dale Brown, 31, received the lightest sentence – 46 months in prison – after pleading guilty to one count of Robbery in February 2022. However, Kody Fields, 24, and Fvs-Chvtv Amos Lawhead, 30, both received significantly harsher penalties. Both were sentenced to 120 months (ten years) behind bars, stemming from their February 2022 guilty pleas to one count each of Use, Carry, Brandish and Discharge of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.
“Using firearms to commit crimes will not be tolerated in the Eastern District of Oklahoma,” stated United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “Under federal law, using, carrying, brandishing, and/or discharging a firearm during the commission of a violent crime subjects offenders to mandatory minimum prison sentences, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will not hesitate to pursue these charges when the facts warrant.” The federal prosecution was justified, officials said, because the defendants are members of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crime occurred within the Cherokee Nation Reservation.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the sentencing hearings in Muskogee. All three defendants are now in the custody of the U.S. Marshal and will be transported to a designated Bureau of Prisons facility to begin serving their non-parolable sentences. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Bondura handled the case for the government.
The case serves as a stark reminder of the severe consequences awaiting those who resort to gun violence during criminal activity in Eastern Oklahoma. The ATF and local law enforcement continue to collaborate to dismantle violent crime rings and bring perpetrators to justice, even within the complex jurisdictional landscape of tribal lands.
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