This story was originally published by Daily Montanan: URL: https://dailymontanan.com This story has not been altered or edited. (C) Daily Montanan. Licensed for re-distribution through Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. ------------ Two women plead not guilty to felony robbery in May assault of Northern Cheyenne Councilwoman – Daily Montanan ['Keith Schubert', 'More From Author', '- February'] Date: 2022-02-03 00:00:00 Two women have pleaded not guilty to charges related to the May 2021 assault of Northern Cheyenne Councilwoman Silver Little Eagle, according to the Yellowstone County Attorney’s Office. Michelle Faith Not Afraid, 28, and Brittany Rae Two Bulls, 26, made their first appearances in Yellowstone County District Court in mid-January and were assigned $75,000 bail. They have trials set to start on April 4 and April, 18, respectively. While Two Bulls was able to post bond, records show that Not Afraid is being held in the Yellowstone County Jail as of Thursday. They were both charged with felony robbery, which carries a minimum of two years imprisonment and up to $50,000 in fines. The two women allegedly robbed and assaulted Little Eagle at the DoubleTree Hotel on North 27th Street Billings on May 16. The charges against the two women were not filed until Aug. 30. “This was a case that needed to be investigated significantly,” Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito told the Daily Montanan. “Sometimes when a case is presented to our office, it doesn’t mean that we’re going to file right away; we may review it and say, ‘Hey, we need additional investigation done.'” Twito also addressed why his office declined to file separate assault charges against Two Bulls and Not Afraid — saying aggravated assault and felony robbery both rely on an element of bodily harm and charging them with both crimes could have exposed prosecutors to double jeopardy provisions. Felony robbery carries a sentence of a minimum of two years — but not more than 4o years — in prison and a maximum fine of $50,000, while aggravated assault carries a sentence of not more than 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $50,000. “You go with what’s the cleanest,” Twito said. According to the court filing, a Billings Police Officer responded to Little Eagle’s hotel room at DoubleTree Hotel. The report said when the officer arrived, he “observed blood throughout the room, including on the beds, floor and bathroom.” Police said in the affidavit that Little Eagle, 24, did not remember the assault: “She recalled being at Shooter’s Bar until they closed, but was unable to remember anything else.” In the attack, Little Eagle suffered a broken nose and a swollen face to the point she had difficulty opening her eyes, according to the report. Police also said in the affidavit that the defendants stole Little Eagle’s car. Law enforcement also noted her phone, wallet and keys were missing. The assault and robbery took place in the morning hours of May 16 after Little Eagle, the two defendants, and another male acquaintance identified as “J.L.,” in the charging documents closed out Shooter’s Bar in Billings, according to the filing. J.L., who told police he was Not Afraid’s boyfriend, was also allegedly assaulted by the defendants and cooperated with police to help Little Eagle, but did not press charges against Not Afraid or Two Bulls, according to the affidavit. Surveillance video from the DoubleTree outlined in the affidavit showed J.L. and Little Eagle entering the DoubleTree just after 3 a.m. on May 16. While Not Afraid entered the hotel with them, she did not immediately go to Little Eagle’s hotel room, but returned later with Two Bulls, according to the affidavit. J.L said in the affidavit that he blacked out from possibly being drugged, and when he came to said he and Little Eagle were being punched and kicked on the ground by Not Afraid and Two Bulls. Police said in the filing that Not Afraid and Two Bulls were seen entering the hotel at 3:22 a.m. and leaving shortly after 3:30 a.m. Little Eagle was part of a historic 2020 Tribal Council election where all five open seats and the Tribal presidency and vice presidency were filled by women as well, according to Native Business. She did not respond to messages from the Daily Montanan requesting comment on the cases. News of the assault first came into the public eye through a GoFundMe soliciting funds for Little Eagle’s hospital bills, which raised a total of $28,780. The GoFundMe page and news of the assault sparked a barrage of online attacks by members of a Facebook Group, “Cheyenne Truth,” who said Little Eagle was exploiting the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic for personal gain and blamed the assault on the fact Little Eagle was allegedly drunk. Facebook removed the group in June, citing harassment and bullying. [END] [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2022/02/03/two-women-plead-not-guilty-to-felony-robbery-in-may-assault-of-northern-cheyenne-councilwoman/ Content is licensed through Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/