Warm Springs Man Found Guilty of Sex Abuse Charges

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.

Warm Springs Man Sentenced for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of Two Minor Females

The Victims Were Relatives of the Defendant

PORTLAND, OR—Bryson Sutterlee, 24, of Warm Springs, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Ancer L. Haggerty to serve 188 months in federal prison for sexually abusing two minor females on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Upon release from prison, Sutterlee will serve five years on supervised release. While on supervised release, Sutterlee will be required to participate in a sex offender treatment program, he will be prohibited from having any communication or contact with his female victims, and the court must approve any contact he has with minors. The defendant was also ordered to register with the state sex offender registration agency.

According to statements made in court at the sentencing hearing, Sutterlee lived in a Warm Springs residence with his grandmother and other family members. While on the reservation, the defendant sexually abused two of his female relatives by force and without their consent. One of Sutterlee’s victims was under the age of 12 at the time of the abuse; the other victim was under the age of 16.

“The victims in this case showed great courage by coming forward and disclosing the defendant’s horrific sexual abuse,” said Dwight C. Holton, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “The Warm Springs Police Department did an excellent job investigating this case, and the Warm Springs Victims of Crime Services performed admirably by supporting the victims and their family throughout the investigation and prosecution of the case.”

This investigation was conducted by the Warm Springs Police Department and the Bend office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Billy J. Williams and Craig J. Gabriel.