Pontotoc County Resident Pleads Guilty To Assault In Indian Country

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jasmine Rae Valdez, age 25, of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country.

The Indictment against Valdez alleged that, on August 29, 2023, Valdez aided and abetted an attack on an individual with a dangerous weapon. The assault resulted in serious bodily injury to the victim. The crimes occurred in Pontotoc County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

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. Valdez was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshal Service pending sentencing.

Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Gross represented the United States.