Dean Necklace Sentenced in U.S. District Court
The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on July 19, 2010, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, DEAN NECKLACE, a 35-year-old resident of Brockton, appeared for sentencing. NECKLACE was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 37 months
- Special Assessment: $100
- Supervised Release: 3 years
NECKLACE was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to domestic assault by a habitual offender.
In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl E. Rostad, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
In the early morning hours of December 21, 2009, Fort Peck Tribal Law Enforcement received a call from an individual who advised that his niece, D.W.F., had been beaten by NECKLACE. When officers arrived at the individual's home, they found D.W.F. bloodied and bruised. D.W.F. indicated that she and NECKLACE, who had been living together for the past two months, had been drinking at a local Poplar bar. When they got into the car, NECKLACE began beating her and she was rendered unconscious. When she awoke, NECKLACE was gone.
D.W.F. was then taken to the emergency room where her injuries were photographed and she was treated. NECKLACE was arrested and entered a guilty plea to an assault charge, counseled by an attorney, in Fort Peck Tribal Court.
NECKLACE has at least two prior and separate convictions for domestic violence --December 14, 2004 and August 30, 2006, both in Billings Municipal Court for partner or family member assault. He also has numerous Fort Peck tribal convictions for domestic violence.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that NECKLACE will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, NECKLACE does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Fort Peck Tribes Criminal Investigation Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
