Post by Okwes on Dec 21, 2006 12:55:11 GMT -5
Judge won't sign extradition orders
RIVERTON -- The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Court will no
longer sign extradition orders for tribal members cited in Riverton,
head tribal Judge John St. Clair said.
St. Clair said the tribes consider Riverton as "Indian country" and
therefore not subject to state jurisdiction.
Fremont County Attorney Ed Newell said the move could put American
Indian defendants at risk because state judges might opt to hold them in
jail rather than granting them bond for fear that they might flee to the
reservation to avoid court appearances.
Newell said there are about 1,000 outstanding arrest warrants in Fremont
County. He estimated that around half are for American Indian
defendants.
Riverton, a Wyoming municipality surrounded by reservation land, is
located on land ceded from the reservation in 1906. Felonies committed
on reservation land are subject to federal courts, while misdemeanors
are dealt with in the tribal system.
Newell said the state doesn't actually need to go through the tribe's
extradition process to arrest or serve papers to defendants on the
reservation.
"This process was one that the tribes adopted," he said. "We've always
done it as a courtesy to the tribes. In the past, they never wanted us
swooping on the reservation."
RIVERTON -- The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Court will no
longer sign extradition orders for tribal members cited in Riverton,
head tribal Judge John St. Clair said.
St. Clair said the tribes consider Riverton as "Indian country" and
therefore not subject to state jurisdiction.
Fremont County Attorney Ed Newell said the move could put American
Indian defendants at risk because state judges might opt to hold them in
jail rather than granting them bond for fear that they might flee to the
reservation to avoid court appearances.
Newell said there are about 1,000 outstanding arrest warrants in Fremont
County. He estimated that around half are for American Indian
defendants.
Riverton, a Wyoming municipality surrounded by reservation land, is
located on land ceded from the reservation in 1906. Felonies committed
on reservation land are subject to federal courts, while misdemeanors
are dealt with in the tribal system.
Newell said the state doesn't actually need to go through the tribe's
extradition process to arrest or serve papers to defendants on the
reservation.
"This process was one that the tribes adopted," he said. "We've always
done it as a courtesy to the tribes. In the past, they never wanted us
swooping on the reservation."