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U.S. Department of Justice January
04, 2013
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WASHINGTON—The Justice Department
announced today that Lindrith Tsoodle, 57, a former officer with the Three
Affiliated Tribes Police Department, was apprehended and arrested on the Rocky
Boy Reservation in Montana yesterday in relation to his indictment on civil
rights and obstruction violations.
Tsoodle was indicted on December 13,
2012. The indictment alleges that, on December 6, 2010, Tsoodle, while acting
in his capacity as a police officer, assaulted “T.K.” during an arrest while
T.K. was handcuffed, thereby violating his civil rights. The indictment alleges
that Tsoodle slammed T.K. against a wall, excessively tightened his handcuffs,
shoved him into a police car, used Oleoresin Capsicum spray on him, and struck
him repeatedly, both with his body and with a baton. The indictment further
charges that T.K. suffered bodily injury as a result of Tsoodle’s use of
excessive force.
According to the indictment,
following the assault on T.K., Tsoodle attempted to convince a witness not to
report the incident to other law-enforcement officials and lied to a federal
agent about the assault.
Tsoodle is also charged with
assaulting “S.L.” during a separate arrest. The indictment alleges that, on
November 20, 2010, while S.L. was in handcuffs, Tsoodle twisted his neck,
shoved him to the ground, and kneed him in the chest, thereby violating his
civil rights.
An indictment is merely an
accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by
the FBI in North Dakota and is being prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel
Gerard V. Hogan and Trial Attorney Dana Mulhauser of the Civil Rights Division
of the U.S. Department of Justice.