The United States Attorney's Office announced that on Sept. 17, 2013, in Billings, after a federal district court trial before U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, THEO SUMMERS BUFFALO BULLTAIL, a 30-year-old resident of Pryor, was found guilty of assault on a federal officer. Sentencing is set for Dec. 18, 2013. He is currently detained.
At trial, the following evidence and testimony was presented to the jury.
On Nov. 2, 2012, a Bureau of Indian Affairs Police officer was called to respond to a disturbance in Pryor. When he got to the house, BULLTAIL was identified by the occupants as the one causing problems. The officer tried to talk with BULLTAIL, but BULLTAIL immediately took a fighting stance. The officer tried to handcuff BULLTAIL, who then started fighting with the officer. During the ensuing scuffle, the officer was struck on the chin by BULLTAIL with the back of his head. The officer then lost his balance and struck his head, which resulted in a loss of consciousness for a brief period of time. The officer sought medical attention for pain in his head.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Harper Suek prosecuted the case for the United States.
BULLTAIL faces possible penalties of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and 3 years supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
