FARGO (KFGO) – A 35-year-old man from the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in north central North Dakota will spend the rest of his life in federal prison for years of sexually abusing a child under the age of 12.
Robert Houle pleaded guilty to the crimes in July and was sentenced Friday in Fargo.
Law enforcement discovered the abuse after they responded to a report of a physical altercation at a residence in Belcourt where they found Houle and the child.
After Houle’s arrest, the child told investigators about physical and sexual abuse that happened between 2016 and 2020 when the child was between six and 11. The child didn’t report the abuse earlier out of fear of not complying with Houle’s demands.
“This is a strong sentence that protects children,” U.S. Attorney for North Dakota Mac Schneider said. “It is also a real credit to our law enforcement partners and career prosecutors who worked hard to ensure this individual faced justice.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs.
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