The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on August 20, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, DEWEY DEAN BUTTERFLY, a 39-year-old resident of Browning, appeared for sentencing. BUTTERFLY was sentenced to a term of:

Prison: 27 months

Special Assessment: $200

Supervised Release: 3 years

BUTTERFLY was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura B. Weiss, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

BUTTERFLY is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Indian Tribe. In the late evening hours of September 9, 2011, the victim was assaulted in a trailer by BUTTERFLY within the exterior boundaries of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

BUTTERFLY repeatedly punched her face and head, stomped on her legs, and choked her to the point of unconsciousness. The victim was ultimately able to escape the next morning when friends came to the trailer to check on her.

The victim was transported to the hospital where she was prescribed potent pain medication as a result of the extreme pain and had injuries resulting in what the treating physician described as protracted and obvious disfigurement to her face. The victim also lost consciousness as a result of the assault.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that BUTTERFLY will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, BUTTERFLY 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 conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

 

 

Return to Top