Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of Arizona

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Supai Village Man Sentenced to 37 Months for Assaulting Federal Officer

     PHOENIX – This week, Victor Grounds, 36, of Supai, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchi to 37 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Grounds, an enrolled member of the Havasupai Tribe, had previously pleaded guilty to assault on a federal officer.

     On the morning of July 18, 2016, a female resident of Supai Village, who is also an enrolled member of the Havasupai Tribe, reported that Grounds was intoxicated and had assaulted her that morning in the village. An officer with the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services subsequently located Grounds, who was severely intoxicated and carrying a bottle of whiskey. When the officer attempted to arrest him, Grounds resisted arrest and assaulted the officer.

     The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Samuels, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER: CR-16-8235-PCT-JJT

RELEASE NUMBER: 2017-026_Grounds

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