GREAT FALLS — A Harlem man pleaded guilty Monday to sexually assaulting a woman on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, marking another federal prosecution of violent crime on the reservation this year.
Ross Vincent Dale, 26, admitted to one count of sexual abuse in federal court in Great Falls. The case adds to a string of serious crimes prosecuted on the Fort Belknap Reservation in recent months, including a fatal stabbing and charges against a school employee for failing to report child abuse.
Dale faces up to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, and five years to lifetime supervised release. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Brian M. Morris scheduled sentencing for November 5.
DNA Evidence Contradicts Alibi
The assault occurred on New Year’s Eve 2021 or in the early morning hours of January 1, 2022, according to court documents. The victim, identified as Jane Doe, was home alone when Dale contacted her and brought alcohol.
The victim told investigators she passed out and woke up to her headboard banging against the wall as Dale raped her. She remained calm until he left, then immediately told her grandmother when she returned home from Wolf Point.
When interviewed by investigators, Dale claimed he was not in Harlem but in Billings with his children on New Year’s Eve. However, DNA testing revealed his DNA on the victim’s underwear, extracted from semen present on the clothing.
The victim underwent a sexual assault examination at Benefis in Great Falls in January 2022.
Federal Jurisdiction in Indian Country
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda L. Myers, with investigation by the FBI and Fort Belknap Law Enforcement Services. Federal authorities typically handle major crimes on Indian reservations under the Major Crimes Act.
This prosecution continues a pattern of federal involvement in addressing violent crimes on Montana’s Indian reservations. Recent cases include a Heart Butte man sentenced to over 20 years for sexually abusing multiple children and a Box Elder man sentenced to over five years for child sexual abuse.
Dale was detained pending sentencing.