United States of America v. James “Jimmy” Has The Eagle, Jr.

Great Falls, Montana, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in Indian Country.

On July 17, 2024, Jane Doe 1 and James “Jimmy” Has The Eagle, Jr., 41, caught a ride to a residence in Lodgepole. Has The Eagle started getting angry at Jane Doe 1 and started beating on her in the vehicle. When they got close to the house, he pushed Jane Doe 1 out of the moving truck and into the street.

Jane Doe 1 ran away to hide around the corner of the house, but Has The Eagle found her. He punched her several times, pushed her down on the ground, and then kicked her in the face with his black fire boots. She lost consciousness after the first kick. When she later regained consciousness, she went into the house and locked the door. Has The Eagle tried to get inside a few minutes later, eventually kicking the door in. Jane Doe 1 tried to hide, but he found her in the bathroom closet. As he was screaming that he would kill her, Has The Eagle wrapped a yellow extension cord around Jane Doe 1’s neck and was strangling her. He was screaming with the cord wrapped around both of their necks, yelling that he was going to kill both himself and her.

Medical records identify that Jane Doe 1 had bruising to her bilateral temples and forehead, with significant swelling to the left cheek and bruising under her left eye with diffuse tenderness to palpation of her face. The records note there were numerous bruises to Jane Doe 1’s extremities, as well as ligature marks to her anterior neck and bruising on the posterior neck to the left of midline.

About a week before the assault of Jane Doe 1, Has The Eagle violently assaulted Jane Doe 2, and their child, Jane Doe 3, in a vehicle on their way to Hays on July 11, 2024. During the drive, he demanded to stop at a house of a known drug user. Jane Doe 2 said no, angering Has The Eagle. Jane Doe 3 began to argue with him and threw a can at him. He flew into a rage and he forcibly grabbed Jane Doe 3, pulling her into the seat with him where he began punching her in the face with his fist.

Jane Doe 2 pulled the vehicle over and Has The Eagle dragged Jane Doe 3 across the pavement. Jane Doe 2 went to help Jane Doe 3, but when she opened the door, he hit her in the eye, face, head, and shoulder/upper arm with tire chains. Jane Doe 2 stated it “knocked [her] for a loop” and she felt dizzy. She expressed still feeling the effects of the assault in September, nearly two months later. Jane Doe 3 suffered black eyes and scraping on her arms from when she was dragged out of the vehicle.

Prior to the assaults of Jane Does 1, 2 and 3, Has The Eagle had been convicted of at least four domestic assaults. Specifically, he was convicted in 2007 of a misdemeanor Partner Family Member Assault (PFMA) before the Havre City Court, and a second misdemeanor PFMA before the Hill County Justice Court. He was also convicted of Abuse of a Family Member before the Fort Belknap Tribal Court in 2021, as well as Elder Abuse and Assault in 2021 before the Fort Belknap Tribal Court.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Myers prosecuted the case. The FBI and Fort Belknap Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.

BOP 64 MONTHS with 3 years supervised release, terms to run concurrently with Counts 6 and 9. $100 special assessment.