Wolf Point man pleads guilty to assault on Fort Peck Indian Reservation

GREAT FALLS - A Wolf Point man accused of assault another individual on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

The defendant, Roger Sylvan Bissonette, III, 23, pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon. Bissonette faces 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and 3 years of supervised release.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for October 30, 2025. Bissonette was released on conditions pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that on January 27, 2024, the defendant, Roger Sylvan Bissonette III, and several friends, including co-defendants and the victim, John Doe, were in a yard in Wolf Point, Montana, playing a game of “slap-boxing.” The fighting escalated and the group broke up. Doe approached the house demanding to get his phone back. A confrontation between Doe, Bissonette, and his co-defendants ultimately ensued in the driveway.

Several people witnessed the assault. One witness described seeing Bissonette and co-defendants hitting John Doe. The witness described seeing one person hit Doe with a bat, then the other two started hitting Doe as well, with Bissonette using a hammer. Another witness saw Bissonette and his co-defendants approaching Doe while he backed away. The witness described the three then “jumping” Doe.

Bissonette told law enforcement that Doe was chasing others around the yard with a knife, so he went into the house to get a weapon, and one of the residents gave him a hammer. Bissonette said that after one co-defendant hit Doe with the bar, Doe went down, but as he was getting back up, a co-defendant stabbed him in the chest. It was then that Bissonette started hitting Doe in the head with the hammer. He continued to hit Doe even when Doe was down. None of the independent witnesses reported Doe having a knife.

Doe died at the scene before law enforcement could arrive. According to an autopsy, Doe died from blunt and sharp force injuries to the head and chest.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI, Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law & Justice, Wolf Point Police Department, and State of Montana Division of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation.

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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