Man Gets 2 Years In Prison After Being Caught Burglarizing A Wolf Point Home

The United States Attorney's Office announced that after being caught fleeing with stolen electronics from a stranger's home, BRANDON MICHAEL JACKSON, aka BRANDON BUCKLES, was sentenced on March 11, 2014, to two years in prison, three years supervised release, and ordered by a judge to pay over $7,000 in restitution to the family whose house he burglarized with two others.

U.S. District Court Judge Brian M. Morris sentenced JACKSON, 28, of Wolf Point, Montana, following JACKSON's entry of a guilty plea to a single-count federal indictment for burglary. 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:

On or about July 6, 2012, JACKSON burglarized a house in Wolf Point, Montana, after allegedly following two other men to a "house party" there. He and two others entered the unoccupied house and began taking things from the home, including electronics and jewelry.

The owners were on vacation. None of the three men had permission to be in the home. The home owner's son and two friends returned to the house and the burglars were still in the home. After hearing people shuffling upstairs, they armed themselves with various makeshift weapons, including a two-by-four. Jackson was caught carrying a television as he ran down the stairs. Jackson threw the television at them and fled, throwing jewelry out of his pockets as he left the residence. The other two burglars also fled the house, dropping items in the yard and neighborhood.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that Jackson will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, Jackson 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 Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice