Belcourt man pleads guilty to assault charge

U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Monday, Jeffrey K. LaVallie, 40, of Belcourt, N.D., pleaded guilty in U.S. District

Court to a charge of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

On Dec. 20, 2011, in the Belcourt area, LaVallie stabbed the victim in the

chest with a knife, authorities said. The injury resulted in a laceration to the victim’s pericardium and lung, which required emergency surgery.

The charge of assault resulting in serious bodily injury carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs - Turtle Mountain

Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Sentencing for LaVallie has been scheduled for 1 p.m. July 16 in U.S. District Court in Minot, N.D.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandi Sasse Russell is prosecuting the case.

Tags: news, updates, crime, assault, stabbing