(Fremont County, WY) – Two local federal cases concluded in October, according to a release shared by the U.S. Department of Justice on November 13, resulting in the sentencing of Brooke Friday-Goggles and Dietz Pongah.
27-year-old Brooke Friday-Goggles, of Fort Washakie, was sentenced to 23 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release on a charge of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
According to court documents, on Jan. 26, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Wind River Police Department (WRPD) was dispatched to a report of an assault. When officers arrived, the defendant was intoxicated and claimed to be the victim, but she had no physical injuries.
Officers discovered the victim inside the residence with lacerations, scrapes and bruises, with her knee appearing dislocated. Witnesses confirmed the defendant had attacked the victim. The victim was flown out of state for surgical treatment of fractures to her knee and leg and an injury to her ankle.
The BIA-WRPD and the FBI investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kerry J. Jacobson prosecuted the case. Friday-Goggles was indicted on March 20 and pleaded guilty on May 28. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin imposed the sentence on Oct. 3 in Cheyenne.
27-year-old Dietz Pongah (the III), with no fixed address, was sentenced to 45 months’ imprisonment with three years of supervised release to follow for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on Oct. 9, 2024, the defendant, while intoxicated, took a vehicle without permission from a residence on the Wind River Indian Reservation and drove it through fields and fences before being apprehended by law enforcement. Inside the vehicle, officers discovered a sawed-off .22 caliber rifle with ammunition, which DCI determined contained the defendant’s DNA.
Pongah is a previously convicted felon and unable to possess a firearm.
DCI and the Wind River Police Department investigated the crime. Michael J. Elmore prosecuted the case. Pongah was indicted on May 21 and pleaded guilty on Aug. 5. U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on Oct. 27 in Casper.