Lodge Man from Grass given five-year prison term for burglary

Billings, Montana – According to U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich, a Lodge Grass man who acknowledged sneaking into a woman’s home on the Crow Indian Reservation and sexually assaulting her in 2020 was sentenced today to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

In August, 32-year-old Joe Claren Tate Reed admitted to breaking and entering.

Judge Susan P. Watters of the US District Court presided.

The victim, Jane Doe, and other people were allegedly drinking with Reed on July 18, 2020, according to court records from the government. Due to alcohol intoxication, Doe was brought home and put to bed in the early morning. Then Reed broke into Doe’s house and attacked her sexually. Doe sought medical attention after reporting the incident to the Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement. Reed agreed to let a buccal swab be taken. The analysis revealed Reed’s DNA on swabs taken during Doe’s examination. In the beginning, Reed denied having sex with Doe. In response to the DNA findings, Reed asserted that he tried to have consensual sex with Doe but stopped when she passed out.

The case was pursued by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas K. Godfrey and Lori Harper Suek after the FBI looked into it.