Tribal Officer in Gun Scandal Gets 4-Month Jail Term

COEUR D’ALENE, ID – A former tribal officer has been sentenced to four months in federal prison for assault, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced yesterday.

Ramon L. Garcia, 31, of Plummer, Idaho, pleaded guilty to the charge on October 20, 2015, for a June 20, 2014 incident in which he pointed a firearm at a man at a party while heavily intoxicated.

Garcia, who was a Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police Officer at the time, had been off duty during the incident. His employer, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, subsequently released him from employment.

In court, Garcia took responsibility for his actions and told the judge he would no longer use alcohol. However, U.S. Judge Dale emphasized that Garcia had betrayed the public trust given to him, and ordered him to surrender his Idaho POST accreditation and certification in addition to the prison sentence.

The case was investigated by the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Garcia’s maximum punishment for the misdemeanor assault was six months in custody, but the judge opted for a four-month prison sentence given his lack of prior criminal history.

Garcia’s attorney did not comment on his behalf. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe has since implemented new policies to prevent similar incidents in the future.

With this latest sentencing, the public is left wondering if the actions of tribal officers will be held to a higher standard in the future.

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