Guilty
Verdicts Returned Against Harry Hintsala for Sexually Abusing Five Girls
PORTLAND, OR—Harry Hintsala, 62, of Warm
Springs, was found guilty yesterday of five counts of abusive sexual contact
after a trial before United States District Judge Michael Mosman. Hintsala pled
not guilty to the charges, but he waived a jury trial and stipulated that the
facts presented by the prosecution at trial were sufficient for Judge Mosman to
find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Judge Mosman has scheduled
Hintsala’s sentencing hearing for June 25, 2012. Hintsala is required to reside
at a halfway house pending sentencing, is prohibited from having any contact
with minors, and must wear a GPS monitoring bracelet at all times. He faces a
maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of
supervised release.
“Mr. Hintsala’s abuse of these young
girls not only violated the victims and their families but also violated the
trust of the Warm Springs Community,” said Amanda Marshall, United States
Attorney for the District of Oregon. “This office will continue to work with
tribal police, tribal protective services, and federal investigators to ensure
that tribal children are protected from all forms of abuse.”
According to the evidence and testimony
presented at trial, Hintsala sexually abused five girls at his residence on the
Warm Springs Indian Reservation between 2007 and 2011. The victims were
approximately 8 to 12 years old at the time of the abuse. Hintsala is a former
Warm Springs police officer, and he had previously worked as a supervisor at
Warm Springs Children’s Protective Services and as a teacher at Head Start. All
of the sexual abuse in this case occurred after Hintsala had retired from those
public positions.
Under a sentencing agreement signed by
Hintsala, both he and the government will recommend that Judge Mosman impose
the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
This case was investigated by the Warm
Springs Police Department and the Bend FBI Resident Agency. The case was
prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Gabriel.
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