Belcourt Man Pleads Guilty to Assault with a Dangerous Weapon
BISMARCK - U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on July 9, 2012, Dustin L. Spears, 32, of Belcourt, N.D., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a charge
of assault with a dangerous weapon.
On February 25, 2012, Spears arrived at the victims home in the Belcourt area
after drinking at a local bar. Spears and the victim got into an argument and Spears
refused to leave. Once outside, Spears struck the victim in the head multiple times with a
knife. The assault resulted in several lacerations above the left ear and head, which
required staples.
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 Bureau of Indian Affairs - Turtle Mountain
Agency.
Sentencing for Spears has been scheduled for September 21, 2012, in U.S. District
Court in Bismarck, N.D., at 2:00 p.m.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandi Sasse Russell is prosecuting the case.
