A federal grand jury has indicted Lyndreth Hemp Wall, 58, of Towaoc, Colorado, on multiple charges related to alleged sexual assaults on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation. The indictment includes eight counts of sexual abuse in Indian Country and four counts of abusive sexual contact in Indian Country.
Wall appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge James Candelaria in Durango for his initial court appearance. If convicted on any of the sexual abuse charges, he could face a sentence of up to life in prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs are leading the investigation into the case. Authorities are asking anyone with information about this case or other possible victims to contact the FBI Denver office at (303) 629-7171.
"The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law," according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.
The case is identified as number 24-cr-00003-GPC-JMC.
