Fort Hall man pleads guilty to assaulting truck driver

A 24-year-old Fort Hall man pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced Thursday.

Stormy Ray Adakai was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pocatello on November 27, 2018.

Sentencing for Adakai is set for January 22, 2020, before Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.

According to court records, on Sep. 2, 2018, at approximately 3:02 a.m., the Fort Hall Police were notified of a truck driver who had been assaulted while inside his semi-truck parked near the TP Gas Station on Ross Fork Road, in the area of the Fort Hall Casino, on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation.

The victim told police while he was asleep in his truck’s cab, an unknown male, later identified as Adakai, broke into the cab and assaulted him.

Adakai demanded money and struck the victim repeatedly with rocks.

As a result of the assault, the victim suffered a broken nose, a broken orbital (eye) bone, and a brain hemorrhage.

The victim also had seizures as a result of the brain hemorrhage.

A witness identified Adakai as the assailant. Investigators then interviewed Adakai. He admitted he assaulted the victim and used rocks to beat the victim. He said he was intoxicated and wanted money from the victim.

The charge of assault resulting in serious bodily injury is punishable by up to ten years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fort Hall Police Department.

KIFI 2019