Weldon Littleghost, Damaging Law Enforcement Vehicle, North Dakota 2013

FARGO, North Dakota – In a shocking turn of events, Weldon Littleghost, 21, of Sheyenne, N.D., has been sentenced to one year and nine months in prison for damaging a law enforcement vehicle.

On Jan. 28, 2013, Littleghost was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson on charges of damage to government property, possession of stolen firearms, and escape by prisoner.

The dramatic incident occurred on Aug. 24, 2011, when Littleghost and co-defendant Lucas Little of Tokio, N.D., were arrested on tribal charges on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation and placed in the back seat of a Bureau of Indian Affairs police vehicle.

While the arresting officer was tending to the medical needs of another person arrested with Little and Littleghost, Little managed to gain access to the front seat of the police vehicle and drove away with Littleghost in the vehicle.

The two men drove a distance and were able to remove their handcuffs. Then Little and Littleghost severely damaged the vehicle by destroying the digital video and radio systems, and shooting the back window and the exterior of the vehicle.

Finally, the vehicle was eventually recovered from Horseshoe Lake when the pair missed a curve in the road and drove into the lake. During the search for the escaped prisoners, a U.S. Border Patrol helicopter with thermal imaging capabilities was used to locate Little along the shore. Littleghost was apprehended at the home of a relative.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Janice M. Morley prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs with assistance from the United States Border Patrol.

Littleghost pleaded guilty to the charges on Sept. 26, 2012. He was ordered to pay restitution, joint and several with co-defendant Lucas Little, in the amount of $42,358.19, and to pay a $225 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund.

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