Sequoyah County Resident Pleads Guilty To Assault Of An Intimate Partner By Strangulation

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Lucas James Blackbird, age 40, of Vian, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea of one count of Assault of a Spouse, Intimate Partner, or Dating Partner by Strangling or Attempting to Strangle, in Indian Country.

The Indictment alleged that on or about February 19, 2024, Blackbird assaulted the victim by strangulation. The crime occurred in Sequoyah County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Vian Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea, and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Blackbird will remain in the custody of the United States Marshal Service pending sentencing.

Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.