Lawren John Slockish, 36, of Warm Springs, Oregon, was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison for molesting an 11-year-old girl. “Sexual abuse of children casts a lifelong shadow on the health of the victims. The Warm Springs Multi-Disciplinary Child Abuse Team brings together tribal police and prosecutors, Child Protective Services, the Indian Health Service, and federal law enforcement authorities to collaboratively investigate these cases in a thorough, compassionate manner ensuring justice for these vulnerable victims” said Billy J. Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “This victim showed great courage by coming forward to disclose the abuse, and for that we are very grateful. Her strength will allow us – law enforcement, the community and her family – to keep other children safe,” said Steve Goldman, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. “The FBI, working with our tribal partners, will do everything to bring justice for the victim with a long-term goal of identifying and addressing child sexual abuse within our community.” According to court documents, both Slockish and the minor victim are members of the Warm Springs Tribe. One day following the abuse, the child disclosed to her mother that Slockish had touched her breasts and tried to anally sodomize her. The minor victim’s mother notified the Warm Springs police. The child told Warm Springs police officers that the assault was not the first time the defendant had molested her and that he had done so in a similar manner approximately one year prior. Slockish previously pleaded guilty to one count of abusive sexual contact with a child on January 19, 2017. Upon completion of his prison sentence, Slockish will be on supervised release for life. The FBI investigated this case with the assistance of the Warm Springs Tribal Police Department. It was prosecuted by Paul T. Maloney, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. On March 3, 1994, the FBI initiated “Operation Safe Trails” with the Navajo Department of Law Enforcement in Flagstaff, Arizona. The operation, which would later evolve into the Safe Trails Task Force (STTF) Program, unites FBI and other federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies in a collaborative effort to combat the growth of crime in Indian Country. STTFs allow participating agencies to combine limited resources and increase investigative coordination in Indian Country to target violent crime, drugs, gangs, and gaming violations.
