Fort Yates woman pleads guilty to arson

U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Oct. 19, Rebecca A. Marshall, 31, of Fort Yates, N.D., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Daniel L. Hovland to a charge of arson.

On Nov. 29, 2009, Marshall set fire to a residence she had been renting from the Standing Rock Housing Authority, authorities said. The Housing Authority was in the process of evicting Marshall from the home. Marshall admitted to investigators that she started the fire by lighting blankets on fire within the home. The home was destroyed by the fire.

The charge of arson carries a statutory maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs - Standing Rock Agency, Standing Rock Fire Department and North Dakota Fire Marshal.

Sentencing for Marshall has been scheduled for 11 a.m. Jan. 10, 2011, in U.S. District Court in Bismarck.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Volk is prosecuting the case.

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