Sheyenne Man Sentenced for Damaging Law Enforcement Vehicle
FARGO - U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Jan. 28, 2013, Weldon Littleghost, 21, of Sheyenne, N.D., was sentenced before U. S. District Judge
Ralph R. Erickson on charges of damage to government property, possession of stolen
firearms, and escape by prisoner.
Judge Erickson sentenced Littleghost to one year and nine months in prison. The
sentence is to be followed by three years of supervised release. Littleghost was ordered to
pay restitution, joint and several with co-defendant Lucas Little, in the amount of
$42,358.19, and to pay a $225 special assessment to the Crime Victim's Fund.
Littleghost pleaded guilty to the charges on Sept. 26, 2012.
Co-defendant Lucas Little of Tokio, N.D., pleaded guilty to the same charges on
Sept. 25, 2012. Little was sentenced on Dec. 18, 2012, to one year and 10 months in
prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. Little was ordered to pay
restitution, joint and several with co-defendant Weldon Littleghost, in the amount of
$42,358.19, and to pay a $225 special assessment to the Crime Victim's Fund.
On Aug. 24, 2011, Little and Littleghost were arrested on tribal charges on the
Spirit Lake Indian Reservation and placed in the back seat of a Bureau of Indian Affairs
police vehicle. While the arresting officer was tending to the medical needs of another
person arrested with Little and Littleghost, Little managed to gain access to the front seat
of the police vehicle and drove away with Littleghost in the vehicle.
The two men drove a distance and were able to remove their handcuffs. Then
Little and Littleghost severely damaged the vehicle by destroying the digital video and
radio systems, and shooting the back window and the exterior of the vehicle. Finally, the
vehicle was eventually recovered from Horseshoe Lake when the pair missed a curve in
the road and drove into the lake. During the search for the escaped prisoners, a U.S.
Border Patrol helicopter with thermal imaging capabilities was used to locate Little along
the shore. Littleghost was apprehended at the home of a relative.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of
Indian Affairs with assistance from the United States Border Patrol.
Assistant U. S. Attorney Janice M. Morley prosecuted the case.
