POCATELLO – A Fort Hall man was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for assault with a dangerous weapon.
According to court records, on October 18, 2019, Fort Hall police officers received a call about a disturbance at a residence on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. Officers responded to the residence and found a witness who said a person had been struck on the head with a machete. The witness saw Malik Ish, 20, of Fort Hall, strike the victim on the head with the machete. The victim was later located at the hospital where he was treated for a skull fracture. Police obtained a search warrant for the residence and located the machete in a bathtub, along with other evidence. Ish was interviewed and admitted that he was angry at the victim and went to the residence to find the victim, intending to hurt him. He stated that he struck the victim over the head with the blunt side of the machete blade.
The 40-month sentence imposed by Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye was in addition to the six months that Ish had already served in the tribal jail based upon the same conduct, resulting in a total of 46 months incarceration. Judge Nye also ordered Ish to serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Ish pleaded guilty to the charge on December 7, 2021.
U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr., of the District of Idaho made the announcement and commended the cooperative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fort Hall Police Department, which led to charges.
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