Poplar man sentenced to more than 4 years in prison for sexual abuse of a minor

GREAT FALLS – A Poplar man who sexually abused a minor was sentenced today to 54 months in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Jonathan Robert Walking Eagle, 23, pleaded guilty in May 2025 to two counts of sexual abuse of a minor.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that on January 24 and 25, 2023, Walking Eagle, then 20 years old, sexually abused a 14-year-old girl on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, in both Poplar and Wolf Point.

The first incident occurred on January 24, 2023, in Poplar. The victim went with Walking Eagle to his mother’s house, and they unprotected sex. The second incident occurred the next day, in Wolf Point. A friend of Walking Eagle’s picked up Walking Eagle and the victim and drove them to Wolf Point, where the victim used marijuana and vaped. She became lightheaded and Walking Eagle removed her clothes and sexually assaulted her.

A SANE exam was completed on the victim and saliva samples were obtained from Walking Eagle. There was very strong support that his DNA was present in the samples obtained from the victim during her exam.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI, Fort Peck Tribal Police, and Wolf Point Police Department, with assistance from the Williston Police Department.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.   

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