Keshena Man Indicted for Involuntary Manslaughter on Menominee Indian Reservation

U.S. Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of Wisconsin
3 May 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Matthew D. Krueger, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on May 1, 2018, a federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment against a man involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident in the Legend Lake area of the Menominee Indian Reservation. The indictment charges Saswaen Waukechon (age: 38) of Keshena, an enrolled member of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, with Involuntary Manslaughter, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1112. If convicted, Waukechon faces up to 8 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release.

According to the indictment, on or about January 13, 2018, while driving under the influence of an intoxicant, Waukechon was involved in a single-vehicle accident that resulted in the death of a passenger.

The Menominee Tribal Police Department, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier.

An indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.