United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that a Jeanerette man pleaded guilty Wednesday to resisting, attacking and threatening a Chitimacha police officer.
Barry David Bryce, 61, of Jeanerette, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick Hanna to assaulting a police officer.
According to the guilty plea, a Chitimacha tribal police officer pulled over Bryce’s vehicle on September 23, 2017, on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. After conducting a number of field sobriety tests and observing Bryce, the officer arrested him, and after placing handcuffs on him, Bryce threatened the officer and kicked the officer. Bryce also resisted the officer’s attempt to put him in a police vehicle.
Bryce faces up to a year in prison, a year of supervised release and a $100,000 fine.
Jurisdiction in Indian Country is based upon the unique sovereign relationship between the federal government and Indian tribes. Congress has criminalized certain acts that take place in Indian Country. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes all felony cases arising in Indian Country that violate federal law.
The Chitimacha Tribal Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dominic Rossetti is prosecuting the case.
