The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings, on March 1, 2013, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn S. Ostby, the following individual was arraigned:
JOHN RYAN HUGS, a 32-year-old resident of St. Xavier, appeared on a charge of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. He is currently released on special conditions. If convicted of this charge, HUGS faces possible penalties of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years supervised release. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia Hurd is the prosecutor for the United States. The investigation was conducted by a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The defendant pled not guilty to the charge.
The charge, an indictment, information or complaint, is merely an accusation and all persons named as defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. A pre-trial conference and a trial date will be set and the United States will be required to prove the allegations set forth in the indictment beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
