By Len Iwanski
Helena, Montana (AP)
A federal appeals court says a Browning man is not an American Indian as defined by federal law, and reversed his conviction for assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
The charge is a federal offense when committed by an Indian on an Indian reservation.
On a 2-1 vote, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Feb. 9 that Christopher Cruz be acquitted.
Helena, Montana (AP)
A federal appeals court says a Browning man is not an American Indian as defined by federal law, and reversed his conviction for assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
The charge is a federal offense when committed by an Indian on an Indian reservation.
On a 2-1 vote, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Feb. 9 that Christopher Cruz be acquitted.