Man charged with assaulting federal officer

Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, announced today that a federal grand jury in Cleveland, Ohio, returned a two-count indictment charging Atrel E. Howard, Jr., age 34, with assaulting a federal officer.

The indictment charges that on or about September 26, 2012, Howard assaulted a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and a protective security officer, resulting in bodily injury to both victims.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney M. Kendra Klump. The case was investigated by the Cleveland offices of the Federal Protective Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.