Yellowstone, MT - Native American Female Teen Stole Yellowstone Co. Sheriff's Patrol Car With K-9 from Reservation - Case Dismissed
Kayla Dawn Roundstone, 19, was charged in state District Court for an incident involving Deputy Richard Hoffman’s patrol car and his K-9 partner, Aron. On the day her District Court trial was to begin, prosecutors dismissed the charges because the crimes fall under federal jurisdiction.
“Since (Roundstone) is a recognized Native American person and this offense occurred on Indian land … the United States District Court for the District of Montana has exclusive jurisdiction of this case, not the 13th Judicial District Court, Yellowstone County,” Deputy County Attorney Juli Pierce said in a motion filed March 15.
Roundstone’s bench trial before Judge Susan Watters had been scheduled to begin that day. The day before, Pierce said in the motion, Roundstone’s public defender notified the prosecution that he believed the offenses occurred on the Crow Indian Reservation. Pierce said she verified the claim.
The misdemeanor DUI charge has been referred to Big Horn County Justice Court, Pierce said, and the felony theft case was sent to federal prosecutors for review. Roundstone has not been charged in federal court.
The incident began at 3:30 a.m. when Hoffman and another deputy were sent to check on a medical call reported at Pryor Creek and Blue Creek roads. The caller said a man had jumped out of a moving vehicle and was injured.
The deputies initially could not find anyone, but Hoffman was told to check the area of Highway 87 East and Pryor Road because the caller may have given the wrong location. At that intersection, Hoffman found a Ford Expedition with several people inside arguing about who was driving, court records state.
A woman in the Expedition told the deputy she had called for help for a man who had jumped out of the vehicle and was in a nearby ditch. Hoffman found the man, who jumped up and tried to run away. Hoffman stopped the man, and saw that he was bleeding and had blood on his shirt.
The man told the deputy that there had been an argument in the Expedition and two men had assaulted him and his girlfriend. When the people inside the Expedition heard what the man told the deputy, the vehicle suddenly drove off, leaving one woman who was standing outside the Expedition behind. Hoffman said he saw the woman try to run after the Expedition.
As Hoffman watched, the woman then got into his patrol car, which had the lights flashing and Aron in the back seat, and drove off.
Another deputy picked up Hoffman and they set out eastbound on Highway 87 East to find the missing patrol car. About 35 minutes later, two Big Horn County deputies found and stopped the stolen patrol car on the highway. The patrol car was not damaged, and Aron was not injured.
Roundstone was arrested and allegedly told officers she was very drunk, blacked out and “came to” when she almost wrecked the patrol car. Prosecutors said she had a blood-alcohol level of 0.162 percent, more than twice the state legal limit.
Roundstone was held in the county jail for about two weeks before a judge agreed to reduce her bond from $10,000 to $4,000 so she could return to high school in Lodge Grass.