Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2005-06-10

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INDEX
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY 2
NEWS BRIEFS 3
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS 4
CLASSIFIEDS 7
Writings of Ward
Churchill fulsome
and Inflammatory
page 4
Lonely quest to keep
government open
page 4
Red Alert at
Leech Lake
page 4
Leech Lake Band
Member outraged
at conduct of
Tribal Attorney
page 4
Leech Lake Tribal
Council behavior
toward Secretary/
Treasurer from
outrageous to absurd
page 4
Leech Lake Assistant Police Chief charged with
two counts of criminal sexual conduct
By Bill Lawrence
Leech Lake Assistant Police
Chief, John Wind, has been formally charged with two counts
of criminal sexual conduct. The
complaint is dated 4/21/05 and is
signed by Earl Maus, Cass Lake
Prosecuting Attorney. Count #1
states John Wind, the defendant,
"did engage in sexual contact with
anotiier person and ... uses force
or coercion to accomplish the
sexual contact; to-wit: on or about
January 1, 2005, in Cass Comity,
Minnesota. Count #2 states "The
defendant. . . did engage in nonconsensual sexual contact, to-wit:
on or about January 1, 2005, in
Cass County, Minnesota. The first
count carries, upon conviction, a
maximum penalty of 10 years in
prison and up to a $20,000 fine, or
both. The second count carries,
upon a conviction, a one-year
term and a fine of up to $3,000,
or both.
The charge is identified as a
"serious felony" on the complaint
fonn. A summons was issued
on May 2, 2005. Mr. Wind is
ordered to appear on the 20th of
June, 2005, at 1:00 p.m. before
the Cass County District Court.
It further states that "IF YOU
FAIL TO APPEAR in response to
this SUMMONS, a WARRANT
FOR YOUR ARREST shall be
issued."
The plaintiff remains anonymous in the complaint, being
referred to only by the initial, V
presumably to denote 'victim.'
The charge states, "V... was in the
process of using the bathroom and
that upon opening the door, a male
individual known to her as Alvin
John Wind, hereinafter Defendant,
proceeded to grab her and attempt
to kiss her. V indicated that she
continually told him no and attempted to leave, and was pushed
against a wall and cabinet area in
the bathroom. She indicated that
He was fined $100 for
violation of the open
bottle law and $50 for
leaving the scene. He
still owes $100.
24 American
Indian journalists
to attend South
Dakota conference
Associated Press
VERMILLION, S.D. -Twenty-
four American Indian college
students from 10 states plan
to attend the annual American
Indian Journalism Instimte at the
University of South Dakota.
It starts Sunday and runs
through June 24 at the Al
Neuharth Media Center.
AIJI, a program of the Freedom
Forum and USD, is the coimtry's
largest college academic program
for native journalism smdents.
AIJI's goal is to teach the
fundamentals of good journalism
in an intense four-credit course
that concentrates on reporting,
writing, photojournalism, ethics
and professional standards.
Students attend classes, receive
practical experience in journalism
labs, go on educational field trips and
produce two editions of an institute
newspaper, The Native Journal.
"AIJI promotes journalism
opportunities for Native
Americans because they are the
most underrepresented group in
the industry. At last count there
were only 295 natives among
the 54,000 journalists working
at daily newspapers," said Jack
Marsh, founding director of AIJI
and executive director of the Al
Neuharth Media Center.
AIJI students come from 19
tribes: Navajo, Cheyenne River
Sioux, Blackfeet, Cherokee,
Citizen Band Potawatomi,
Colorado River, Colville, Crow,
Ho-Chunk, Hoopa, Maya, Prairie
Band Potawatomi, Salish, Santo
Domingo Pueblo, Seminole,
Sisseton-Wahpeton, Spirit Lake,
Standing Rock Sioux and the
Three Affiliated Tribes.
Guest speakers include: Mary
Kay Blake, senior vice president
of the Freedom Forum; Michael
Gartner, former president of
NBC News, veteran newspaper
editor and winner of the Pulitzer
Prize for editorial writing; Al
Neuharth, founder of the Freedom
Forum and* USA Today; Wilma
Mankiller, former principal chief
of the Cherokee Nation; Chuck
Trimble, former executive
director of the National Congress
of American Indians and founder
of the American Indian Press
Association; and South Dakota
Gov. Mike Rounds.
Alvin John wind's vehicle in the employee parking lot at Leech Lake
Tribal Police Headquarters. Sources from inside the Leech Lake Band
have reported Alvin John Wind to be working daily despite being on
Administrative Leave. Picture taken on June 7, 2005 by Diane White.
Defendant had locked the door to
the bathroom upon entering. V
further indicated that Defendant
had forcefully taken her hands
and placed them inside his pants
against his penis.... It should be
noted that photos were taken of
V, which indicated the presence
of bruises several days after the
incident."
On January 3, 2005, a Leech
Lake Tribal Police officer, upon
hearing of the episode, reported
it, hi accordance with the professional code of conduct, to Police
Chief Steve Day. He responded
that he would attend to the matter and promised to remove Wind
from his duties.
A charge of this namre should
have inspired an immediate full-
fledged internal investigation but
there is no evidence that such an
investigation happened.
No report was made until the
3rd week in January when Chief
Day erroneously reported the
incident to Beltrami Comity. The
report should have been made to
Cass County officials; accordingly
Beltrami County forwarded the
material to Cass Comity.
The reporting officer was fired
in April from the Leech Lake
Tribal Police for allegedly giving
false report.
On April 7, the Leech Lake 1 [\-
ecuti ve Director issued a memo to
Chief Day advising that "Assistant
Police Cliief John Wind is and has
been on administrative leave for
some time. This means that Mr.
Wind is not to act in any official
capacity for the I^eech I ,ake Tribal
Police Department this includes
working in an administrative role
or in a capacity in which he is a
representative of the Leech Lake
Tribal Police Department." The
memo formally directs that "Mr.
Wind is not to be present in the
offices of the LLTPD for any reason wliile he is on administrative
leave." Further, if Wind was in
possession of issued equipment,
i.e. vehicle, cell phone, etc., he
would be required to return same
to the department.
There is evidence that Mr. Wind
however is in violation of the
tenns of the administrative leave,
that he is actively participating in
police department activity, doing
routine assignments appropriate
to the position of assistant chief.
Press/ON has received a copy of
a Memorandum from Chief Day
to the Purchasing Director wherein
he indicates "On May 6, 2005,
John Wind spoke with you regarding the purchase of seven cars for
the Department. He wanted you
lo know that these cars must be
purchased and paid for by June 30,
2005."
Several individuals have reported seeing Mr. Wind's vehicle
parked, daily, at the Police building.
It is difficult to understand why
disciplinary procedures against
Mr. Wind are not being enforced.
It is also puzzling why the LLTPD
has taken such a long time in responding appropriately to the
matter. This appears to be another
breach of the tenns of the Coop-
CHARGE to page 7
VOICE      OF      THE      PEOPLE
Bemidji man arraigned in
mother's murder
Bemidji, MN—Ronald James
Kettle, a 45-year-old man was
arraigned in Beltrami County
Court by Judge Paul Benshoof
on June 7, 2005 was charged
with Second degree murder of
his mother, Hazel Irene Boswell,
age 70, at her Bemidji apartment.
If convicted, Kettle faces a
maximum penalty of 40 years in
prison. Bail was set at $500,000
and his next court appearance is
set for Monday, June 13.
The criminal complaint states
that on Sunday, June 5 Kettle
came to the Beltrami County
Law Enforcement Center and
confessed the murder his mother to
the Dispatcher. He also attempted
suicide with a knife, but was
treated and released from Nordi
County Regional Hospital before
being detained at the Beltrami
County Detention Center.
If Kettle makes bail, the
conditions of release are no
drinking, no drug use and he
cannot retuni to his mother's
apartment. Bemidji Police
officers arrived at the apartment
at 12:27 a.m. on Sunday to find
Bos well's blanket-covered body
lying in the hallway and noticed
large amounts of blood throughout
the apartment. Bos well's autopsy
report indicated Boswell died
from blunt force trauma to the
face and head causing extensive
hemorrhaging in the brain. She
had bniises and cuts on her upper
body and multiple broken ribs and
lung damage.
The case was investigated by
the Bemidji Police Department
and the Minnesota Bureau of
Criminal Apprehension.
Morton man sentenced to life in
prison for Morton slaying
Associated Press
REDWOOD FALLS, Minn. -
Morton man was sentenced to life
in prison without the possibility
of parole for the kidnapping and
stabbing death of a man after a
house party.
Morris Pendleton Jr. was
convicted May 13 in the death
of Robert Berry Jr. who was 50,
whose body was found in the
Mississippi River in September.
Pendleton was convicted of
one court of aiding and abetting
premeditated first-degree murder
and one count of aiding and
abetting first-degree felony
murder during a kidnapping.
District Judge David Peterson
also ordered Pendleton to pay
more than $10,000 for Beny's
funeral expenses and a $500
deductible for the vehicle that was
burned during the offense.
Prosecutors alleged that
Pendleton and at least four
others beat Berry until he was
unconscious, drove him to the
Minnesota River,, slabbed him
several times and dumped his
body into die river. Fourth others
have also been charged. During
his sentencing, Pendleton, 24, told
Berry's family that he was sorry
for what happened but maintained
that he did not kill Berry.
Red Lake Man sentenced to
30 years in prison
Minneapolis - A 24-year-old
man from the Red Lake Indian
Reservation was sentenced today
in United States District Court to
30 years in prison for raping two
minor girls.
GanettLee Jones, from Ponemah,
Minn., was also ordered by Judge
Ann Montgomery to pay $9351
in restitution to his victims.
Jones was sentenced as a repeat
and dangerous sex offender
against minors. He was also
given an increase in his sentence
for his fabricated trial testimony
and for providing a false statement
to law enforcement during the
investigation of the crimes.
A federal jury convicted Jones
in May 2004 on four counts of
aggravated sexual abuse. One
of the rapes occuned on June
18, 2002 when Jones too a then
12-year-old girl to the pow-wow
grounds where he forced her to
drink vodka and then, after she
passed out, raped her. The victim
was found die next morning by an
ambulance crew. Jones was also
convicted to raping a 16-year-old
girl after getting her drunk.
The case is the result of an
PRISON to page 3
web page: www.press-on.net
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
A weekly publication.   Copyright, Native American Press, 2005
Founded in 1988
Volume 17 Issue 51
June 10, 2005
Jeffrey "Rudy" May, center and his uncle Ken Cloud, right, head to an American Indian healing
ceremony in Wisconsin, Wednesday, June 8, 2005, after May was discharged from a hospital in
Fargo, N.D. Ten weeks after he was left for dead in his high school classroom, May walked out
of the hospital, saying he looked forward to sports and to going back to school. The 15-year-old
was shot in the neck at close range during the March 21 attack at Red Lake High School that left
10 people dead. His therapists call him "Rudy," a nickname taken from the Notre Dame football
movie. (AP Photo/The Forum, Ann Arbor Miller)
Injured Red Lake student leaves Fargo hospital
By Dave Kolpack
Associated Press
FARGO, N.D. -Ten weeks after he was left for dead in his high
school classroom, Jeffrey May
walked out of the hospital, saying he looked forward to sports
and to going back to school.
"Obviously, this is a huge
day for Rudy," said Dr. William
Klava, who directed the teenagers' physical rehabilitation at
Fargo's MeritCare Hospital. "He
lias been an inspiration for a lot
of other patients around here."
The 15-year-old was shot in
the neck at close range during
the March 21 attack at Red Lake
High School that left 10 people
dead. His therapists call him
"Rudy," a nickname taken from
die Notre Dame football movie.
May, who initially was
paralyzed on his left side after
suffering a stroke, walked into a
press conference Wednesday with
the use of a cane.
"Il feels good," he said widi a
wide smile.
May appeared to be fighting
back tears, unable lo answer,
when asked about his modier. Jodi
May, 40, suffered a life-threatening stroke on April 30 and remains
in guarded condition.
"I'm sure there's a flood of
emotions he's dealing with,"
Klava said.
But die teenager smiled when he
said diere was nodiing he would
miss about die hospital. He also
said he was looking forward to
getting back to football, basketball and baseball and reniniing to
school next fall.
"I've got to go to school at
some point in my life," he said.
May said he plans to attend an
Indian heating ceremony in Wis
consin before returning home. His
uncle, Ken Cloud, and cousins,
Kenny and Travis Cloud, helped
him move his belongings out of
die hospital.
May was in critical condition
for three days following the
shooting. His jaw was wired shut
and he communicated by using
hand signals. He started lo regain
movement in his left side in early
April and took his first steps later
that month.
Now he's able to fmiction by
himself, Klava said.
" He has become quite self-sufficient in a short period of time,"
Klava said. "It's been quite a journey. He was barely getting out of
bed when we first started."
May will continue his rehabilitation closer to Red Lake,
RED LAKE to page 3
Aftermath of school shooting: Young man watches
over wounded kid brother, his stroke-ridden mother
By Dave Kolpack
Associated Press
FARGO, N.D. - Shane May
knew pressure as a high school
basketball player. But lately he
has been hitting the court to get
away from it all.
For most of the past two
mondis, the 21-year-old from
Red Lake, Minn., has been
watching over bodi his brotiier
and modier as diey fought for
their lives.
May's brodier Jeffrey, 15, was
shot in die head at close range
during a rampage by a teenager
March 21 diat left 10 people dead
on Minnesota's Red Lake Indian
Reservation. May's modier, Jodi,
40, suffered a slroke about a mondi
later. May attributed it to die stress
from his brodier's injuries.
"A lot of people ask me how
much one family can take," he
said. "I don't have a choice. I
don't have time to stress out."
In recent weeks, May traveled
back and forth between a Fargo
hotel and die hospital, thrust into
the role of family leader, hospital
liaison and media contact.
"Shane has done a tremendous
job here as kind of die glue holding die family togedier," said Dr.
William Klava, who has directed
Jeffrey's rehabilitation. "He has
shouldered more responsibility
than a young person should have
had to do at his age."
In addition to visiting his brodier
and modier, May lias been die designated host for a parade of family
members, including his siblings,
SHOOTING to page 3
'Connect the
dots' a wild
goose chase
By Kevin Flynn
Rocky Mountain News
Ward Churchill provided
some cryptic directions 11
years ago when questions
were raised on the University
of Colorado campus about his
Indian heritage.
In a November 1993 article
in the campus newspaper,
then-student Jodi Rave
raised in public the doubts
over Churchill's claims to
Indian ancestry diat had been
circulating for years through
the native community.
CHASE to page 6
Lobbyist helped line up Indian
leaders to meet with Bush
By Suzanne Gamboa
Associated Press
WASHJNGTON-An arrangement involving two Indian tribes,
the head of an anti-tax organization
and a lobbyist now under criminal
investigation plus $50,000 secured
Indian leaders a private audience
with President Bush.
Each of die players, including
die president, had something to
gain from die deal, carried out
in 2001 and confinned by tribal
lawyers and documents showing
the solicitation of money and the
promise of a meeting with Bush.
The tribes were seeking to protect dieir casino gaming revenues
from tougher labor regulations and
to block changes in federal gaming
laws that might interfere with dieir
casinos. The anti-tax organization
wanted sponsorship money for a
political event, and die lobbyist
acting as a go-between was charging his Indian clients millions of
dollars for his services.
For Bush, participating in an
event sponsored by the Americans for Tax Reform gave a hand
to a pro-Republican group and its
head, Grover Norquist, a longtime
Bush ally and political consultant.
Besides, lobbyist Jack Abramoff
himself had raised more than
$100,000 on behalf of Bush and
had his own ties to Norquist.
BUSH to page 7