Tag: lummi
By Caleb Hutton
LUMMI RESERVATION — As we reported Monday, Dec. 17, high tides and story stormy weather led to flooding along the coast of Whatcom County, from Boulevard Park in Bellingham to Birch Bay Drive in Birch Bay.
A reader sent in this photo of seawater that reached the tribal veteran’s hall on the Stommish Grounds.
Photo credit to Evelyn Jefferson.
The water bottle at the bottom right gives you an idea of how high the flooding got.
Here’s the location of the hall.
By Caleb Hutton
A Lummi man was arrested this week on suspicion of raping another tribe member.
Here’s a brief overview from Lummi Communications:
On December 4th, 2012, an adult Lummi Tribal member reported to Lummi Nation Police that she had been assaulted and raped in the 3300 block of Lummi Shore Road.An initial investigation conducted by Lummi Nation Police Department and the Bellingham office of the FBI resulted in the arrest of Robert (Dewey) Johnson, (an) American Indian residing on the Lummi Reservation.Mr. Johnson was transported and booked into Whatcom County Jail.…The Lummi Nation Police Department and the Bellingham office of the FBI are cooperating in an ongoing investigation.
Thomas Bates, of the U.S. Attorney General’s Office in Seattle, declined to say if the case would meet the threshold to move into federal jurisdiction, rather than tribal jurisdiction. (See the Major Crimes Act of 1885.)
By Caleb Hutton
Federal charges in the murder of Kenneth Joseph aren’t expected to be filed until sometime next week.
For background, here’s the story that ran in today’s paper.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s office let me know this morning, Nov. 1, the charging process had been delayed. Before, the documents were expected to be filed by Friday.
The charges will give the details of a homicide investigation that has, so far, been kept under wraps by Lummi police and the FBI. Levi E. J. Charles, a suspect in the murder, is being held in Whatcom County Jail, awaiting a court date.
Just for posterity, here’s the press release we got Wednesday afternoon from Lummi Communications:
The Lummi Nation Police Department, working in cooperation with the Whatcom County Sheriff and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has identified Levi Charles, a transient American Indian, as a suspect in the Kenneth Joseph homicide investigation.
On October 29th, 2012, investigators conducted an interview with Mr. Charles while he was incarcerated in the Whatcom County Jail on a separate matter. Following the investigation, investigators established probable cause to hold Mr. Charles as a suspect in the Joseph homicide. The involved law enforcement agencies will continue to work together in the ongoing investigation.
By Caleb Hutton
Two American Indian tribes in Whatcom County were awarded about $1.5 million in grants to combat drug abuse this week.
Lummi Nation was given $998,500 by the Department of Justice to build low-security housing as an alternative to jail time. Residents are monitored by a GPS system. Some of the money will go toward mental heatlh therapy and job training.
The Nooksack Tribe’s grant of $465,700 will go toward curbing alcohol and drug abuse by tribal youth aged 10 to 17 in the Deming area, according to the DOJ. That money will pay for the hiring of a drug prevention worker, canoe journey curriculum and after-school programs.
Both grants were bundled into an announcement of $101 million for tribes around the country Thursday, Sept. 28.
Spokespeople for both local tribes did not return calls seeking comment.
By Caleb Hutton
The Department of Justice announced $101 million in grants to tribes around the country Thursday, Sept. 27.
Exactly $998,562 of that money goes to the Lummi Tribe for its Transitional Housing Project. The Nooksack Tribe also got $465,763 for its Tribal Youth Program. I’ve been running around all day doing other things, so look for a full story online sometime tomorrow.
For now, here’s the overview from the DOJ:
WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice today announced more than 200 grants to more than 110 American Indian and Alaska Native nations. The grants will provide more than $101 million to enhance law enforcement practices, and sustain crime prevention and intervention efforts in 10 purpose areas including public safety and community policing; justice systems planning; alcohol and substance abuse; corrections and correctional alternatives; violence against women; elder abuse; juvenile justice; and tribal youth programs.
“Over the last several years, we’ve consulted with tribes and participated in listening sessions that provided a clear message of a need for coordination and flexibility to access our grant resources,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West. “Our outreach and communication with tribal governments have been critical to our understanding of how to better serve and support our tribal partners. These awards represent our ongoing commitment to help put an end to the unacceptable and sobering crime rates witnessed in Indian Country.”
The awards are made through the department’s Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS), a single application for tribal-specific grant programs. The department developed CTAS through its Office of Community Oriented Policing, Office of Justice Programs and Office on Violence against Women, and administered the first round of consolidated grants in September 2010. It awarded 286 grants totaling $245 million in 2011 and 2012. Information about the consolidated solicitation is available atwww.justice.gov/tribal/. A fact sheet on CTAS is available at www.justice.gov/tribal/ctas2012/ctas-factsheet.pdf.
Next month, the Justice Department will hold its annual consultation on violence against native women on Oct. 2, 2012, in Tulsa, Okla. In addition, an Interdepartmental Tribal Justice, Safety and Wellness Session will be held in Tulsa, on Oct. 3-4, 2012. It will provide a Listening Session on the Tribal Law and Order Act Tribal Justice Plan Implementation Strategy and include valuable training and technical assistance.
Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
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By Caleb Hutton
Via police scanner traffic:
LUMMI RESERVATION — A group of four preteen girls were seen trying to light a “Port-a-Potty” on fire about 2:40 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8, at the Stommish Grounds on the Lummi Reservation.
Dispatchers said someone at the nearby veterans office reported the fire. Within moments of the report, the flames were extinguished.
One suspect was wearing a light blue shirt; the second wore a black shirt with her hair in a ponytail; the third had a pink top and brown hair; the fourth wore a blue and white tie-dye T-shirt.
No word yet about what the girls might have used to ignite the toilet.
Fire District 8 Chief Dean Whitney was out of the office this afternoon, and crews were out responding to calls when I phoned the district office.
Lummi spokespeople were out of the office, too.
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