A Colorado defendant was sentenced to five years in prison after the assault of a federal officer at a tribal gaming venue in April. 

Daniel Lehi, 44, from Towaoc, Colo., received the sentence recently from U.S. District Court Judge Gordon P. Gallagher. 

Following Lehi's imprisonment, the judge also mandated that he be on supervised release for three years. 

Previously, Lehi admitted guilt to one charge of attacking a federal officer. The unnamed official is employed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). 

The event occurred at the Ute Mountain Casino Hotel on April 5. The individual, later recognized as Lehi, seemed to be under the influence and “charged at the officer and hit him in the face” during an altercation, as per prosecutors. 

“Lehi continued to fight until officers were able to subdue him,” prosecutors added. Security guards also assisted in apprehending Lehi.

Prosecutors disclosed that Lehi had previous attacks on other law enforcement officers. The judge took those previous incidents into account when sentencing the defendant. 

Gallagher has previously served as a federal magistrate and as a deputy district attorney in Colorado counties. During his time in private practice, his clients included the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. 

 

Officer Called a ‘Victim’

“This attack on a federal officer simply doing his job is unacceptable. We fully support the officer who is a victim in this case and are steadfast in our commitment to pursuing justice in cases involving assaults on law enforcement officers,” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said in a statement released on Friday.

"Such acts will not go unanswered, and we will work tirelessly to ensure accountability,” Michalek added.

 

Sentence Is Serious

"Assault on a law enforcement officer is a serious offense, and this defendant received a serious sentence for his actions,” Matt Kirsch, Colorado Acting U.S. Attorney, added in the statement concerning the length of sentence.

“I want to acknowledge the BIA officer for deftly handling a challenging situation,” Kirsch continued.

The incident was investigated by the FBI's local office and the BIA. 

The casino features more than 700 slot machines. It includes a sportsbook and various table games as well. These encompass blackjack, roulette, Three Card Poker, and Ultimate Texas Hold’em.