Former tribal councilman gets 40 months for assault

By The Grand Forks Herald

GRAND FORK, N.D. — A former Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa tribal councilman was sentenced Tuesday to more than three years in federal prison for severely beating the tribe’s personnel director last year.

Douglas J. Delorme, 38, Belcourt, N.D., who served as a tribal councilman for two two-year terms in the past 10 years, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for assaulting the tribe’s personnel director, Sam LaRocque.

Delorme, who last was elected to tribal office in 2000, was working at the tribe’s fitness center as a trainer last June when a recommendation to fire him because of job performance issues came up. One of Delorme’s supervisors passed the recommendation on to LaRocque.

According to the North Dakota U.S. Attorney’s office, LaRocque, while in the middle of the employment dispute, went to Delorme’s home June 2 to retrieve a tool that Delorme had borrowed. “Delorme became upset with LaRocque” and assaulted him “by striking (LaRocque) with his fists and kicking him.”

LaRocque’s nose was broken, and he had a fractured cheekbone and a concussion.

Delorme was charged in federal court with assault resulting in serious injury and tampering with a witness. He was convicted by a federal jury of assault, but was found not guilty of tampering with a witness Dec. 5.

In addition to serving more than three years in prison, Delorme was ordered to pay $4,086.73 in restitution. He’ll be on three years supervised probation once released.

Delorme has previous federal convictions of embezzlement, tampering with a witness and subornation of perjury in federal district court from incidents while he served as a tribal councilman.