Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE -- The verdicts returned this afternoon by a Superior Court jury in the Narragansett Indian smoke-shop raid case are as follows:

* Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, who has served on the tribal council since 1990 and was elected the tribe’s youngest chief sachem since Colonial times:

- Not guilty: Disorderly conduct
- Not guilty: Resisting arrest
- Guilty: Simple assault

* Hiawatha Brown, who works as a stonemason and has served on the tribal council for much of the past three decades:

- Guilty: Disorderly conduct
- Not guilty: Resisting arrest
- Guilty: Simple assault

* John Brown, the tribe’s medicine-man-in-training and historic preservation officer who's been on the tribal council for 25 years:

- Not guilty: Disorderly conduct
- Not guilty: Resisting arrest

* Thawn Harris, a federally trained conservation officer for the tribe:

- Not guilty: Resisting arrest
- A second charge, of simple assault, was dropped

* Adam Jennings, a dealer at Foxwoods Resort Casino in eastern Connecticut:
- Not guilty: Disorderly conduct
- Not guilty: Resisting arrest

* Randy Noka, tribal first councilman and a federally trained law enforcement officer who works at the Mohegan Sun casino in eastern Connecticut:

- Guilty: Disorderly conduct
- Not guilty: Resisting arrest

* Bella Noka, Randy Noka’s wife, who was on the tribal council at the time of the raid:

- Not guilty: Disorderly conduct
- Not guilty: Simple assault
- Not guilty: Obstruction

Comments

Dorothy Smith said:

Where are the rallies seeking justice for the indians-----the first victims of illegal immigrants. The storming of the tribal land by the state police was horrifying to see. The Indians resistance was a natural human response.

Link | April 5, 2008 8:34 AM
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Ted Lewandowski said:

It's interesting that none of the State Police were charged in this raid with using excessive force. This was a PR disaster for the State Police. My friend who is a former police lieutenant informed me he would never would have had his officers go into a situation as the State Police did in this raid - especially with the media being there. This could have been resolved as simply as serving notice to the Narragansett's by the State Police without the repercussions that followed that I am sure all Rhode Islander's are paying for now. Good luck to Patrick Lynch in 2010!

Link | April 5, 2008 9:52 PM
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Bobby said:

The members of the Narragansett Tribe were the victims in the situation and the State Police should have been on trial rather than them. The guilty charges are disturbing and I really wish that the officers involved or those who gave the directions to raid their smoke shop were held accountable!

Link | April 7, 2008 1:26 AM
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