Fort Hall man pleads guilty to assault on an officer

Lyle Plentywounds, Sr., 60, of Fort Hall, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to assault on an officer.

According to U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson Plentywounds was indicted by the federal grand jury in Pocatello on July 28, 2015.

On June 23, 2015, officers from the Fort Hall Police Department responded to a residence on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation on a report that the Plentywounds was causing a disturbance at that location. Officers arrived at the location and found Plentywounds to be intoxicated, which is a violation of Tribal law. Officers took Plentywounds into custody. While officers were taking him to the patrol car, Plentywounds struggled with the officers and kicked an officer in the leg. Under the specific federal law that Plentywounds pled guilty to violating, Fort Hall police officers are considered “federal officers.”

The charge of assault on an officer is punishable by up to eight years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Plentywounds is scheduled to be sentenced on June 22, 2016, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.

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