SUBMITTED By OFFICE OF THE TRIBAL PROSECUTOR
Keith Owle was convicted in the Cherokee Tribal court on Thursday, Jan. 28 of one count of Assault on a Female.
“The defendant pled guilty to an incident which occurred on October 19, 2009 when he entered the home of a handicapped woman in a wheelchair and exposed himself seeking sex,” said Tribal Prosecutor Roy Wijewickrama.
The Honorable Judge Matthew Martin sentenced Owle to an active jail sentence of one year and fined him $5,000. The defendant had a substantial criminal history according to Wijewickrama.
Under Cherokee law, the one year active sentence was the maximum the Court could hand out. Assistant Tribal Prosecutor Jason Smith prosecuted the case for the Tribe.
“I would like to commend Jason Smith and Detective Sean Birchfield, of the Cherokee Indian Police Department, for their work on this case,” said Wijewickrama. “Their hard work led to a successful prosecution of this case.”
