April 8, 2010 - The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls on April 7, 2010, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, LUKE JOHN SCOTT, a 22-year-old resident of Poplar, pled guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Sentencing has been set for July 26, 2010. He is currently detained.
In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vince Carroll, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On August 14, 2008, R.O. and her longtime boyfriend/husband J.S. were at R.O.’s residence in Poplar (which is within the exterior boundaries of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation) playing cards with SCOTT and his girlfriend H.T. H.T. and SCOTT got into an argument and began to fight. H.T. ran out of the house.
R.O. and J.S. tried to keep SCOTT from chasing H.T. SCOTT pushed J.S. down and kicked him. R.O. tried to help J.S., but SCOTT knocked her down and kicked her in the forehead and in the mouth, causing significant injury to R.O.’s teeth.
R.O. and J.S. (who later died from unrelated causes), were taken to the Poplar Hospital and then flown to Billings. R.O. had to have several teeth removed from the upper center of her mouth because her teeth had been knocked back deep inside her mouth. R.O. also suffered a fractured upper jaw. R.O. stated that she had experienced an extreme amount of pain from her injuries and the acute care nurse practitioner had stated that R.O.’s injuries constituted serious bodily injury.
SCOTT faces possible penalties of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years' supervised release.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Fort Peck Tribes Criminal Investigation Division.
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