Ryan James Parker Sentenced in U.S. District Court

U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Montana
April 2, 2013

The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls on April 1, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, Ryan James Parker, a 26-year-old resident of Box Elder and an enrolled member of the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, was sentenced to a term of:

Prison: 37 months
Special assessment: $100
Restitution: $3,998
Supervised release: three years

Parker was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to involuntary manslaughter.

In an offer of proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Danna R. Jackson, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

On June 14, 2012, near Box Elder on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, Parker caused a collision between the vehicle he was driving and another vehicle in which an individual died.

Parker was intoxicated at the time of the collision. According to tribal law enforcement, Parker was arrested immediately following the collision and given a Breathalyzer test. The result showed his blood alcohol content was 0.25. The Airbag Control Module report indicated that Parker was driving 91 mph at less than five seconds prior to the collision and 63 mph at less than two seconds prior to the collision. The posted speed limit on this area was 35 miles per hour.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the “truth in sentencing” guidelines mandate that Parker will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, Parker does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for “good behavior.” However, this reduction will not exceed 15 percent of the overall sentence.

The investigation was conducted by a cooperative effort between the Montana Highway Patrol, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Chippewa Cree Law Enforcement.