Lodge Grass man sentenced to five years in prison for burglary

BILLINGS  — A Lodge Grass man who admitted to breaking into a woman’s house on the Crow Indian Reservation and sexually abusing her in 2020 was sentenced today to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Joe Claren Tate Reed, 32, pleaded guilty in August to burglary.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

In court documents, the government alleged that on July 18, 2020, Reed was drinking with the victim, identified as Jane Doe, and others. In the early morning, Doe was taken home and put to bed because of alcohol intoxication. Reed then broke into Doe’s home and sexually assaulted her. Doe reported the assault to Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement and got a medical exam. Reed consented to giving a buccal swab. The results found Reed’s DNA on swabs taken from Doe’s exam. Reed initially denied having sex with Doe. When confronted with the DNA results, Reed claimed he attempted to have consensual sex with Doe, but she passed out, so he stopped.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lori Harper Suek and Thomas K. Godfrey prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI.

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