Fort Yates Man Found Guilty of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon

BISMARCK - U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on May 22, 2013, Paul A. Yellow Hammer III, 42, of Fort Yates, N.D., was found guilty by a federal jury in U.S. District Court on a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon. Yellow Hammer was found not guilty of another charge of assault with a dangerous weapon involving a second individual.

On Jan. 31, 2012, in Fort Yates, Yellow Hammer assaulted a woman by kicking her multiple times on or about her body and face, while wearing black work boots. The woman suffered multiple injuries which required medical attention.

The charge of assault with a dangerous weapon carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs - Standing Rock Agency.

Sentencing for Yellow Hammer has been scheduled for Sept. 16, 2013, in U.S. District Court in Bismarck, N.D.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Delorme is prosecuting the case.