Durant Resident Pleads Guilty To Felony Assault

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Derek Michael James, age 41, of Durant, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country, punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.

The Indictment alleged that on January 27, 2025, James assaulted the victim with a dangerous weapon, intending to do bodily harm.

The crime occurred in Bryan County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police Department.

The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.

A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

James will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan E. Soverly and Patrick M. Flanigan represented the United States.