Woman goes to prison for attacking officer

A Fort Hall woman is going to prison after she hit a police officer in the face.

Caitlin Eagle was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court to a year and a day in prison, six months in a halfway house, followed by three years of supervised release, for assault on a federal officer, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Eagle had pleaded guilty in December.

On Feb. 18, 2014, a caller told Fort Hall police shots had been fired by people dressed in black who were running from the area. When the responding officer arrived, he saw a person in a black coat. He tried to talk with the person, later identified as Eagle.

She gave the officer a false name and was uncooperative.

The officer smelled a strong odor of an alcoholic drink on her, a violation of Fort Hall tribal law, and tried to arrest her. As he was putting her in handcuffs, she became combative and struck the officer in the face several times.

The officer was able to handcuff Eagle and with another officer’s help got her into the police car.

The injured officer was treated at the hospital for abrasions on his cheek and nose.