Harlem Man Admits To Sexual Abuse Charges

GREAT FALLS - A Harlem man accused of sexual abuse on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation admitted to charges on Monday July 7, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

The defendant, Ross Vincent Dale, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual abuse. Dale faces maximum penalties of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and five years to a lifetime of supervised release.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing has been set Nov. 5. Dale was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that in January 2022, Jane Doe was taken to Benefis in Great Falls for a sexual assault examination. Doe alleged she was sexually abused by the Ross Dale on New Year’s Eve or in the early morning hours of New Year’s day, 2021-2022.

Doe lived with her grandmother/ guardian at the time. On New Year’s Eve, Doe’s grandmother and aunt traveled to Wolf Point, leaving Doe at the house alone. Dale contacted her on New Year’s Eve and brought alcohol. Doe took a video of herself and Dale drinking. At some point, Doe must have passed out because she woke up in her bed to her headboard banging against the wall. Dale was behind her, vaginally raping her. She tried to remain calm until he finally left the house. She told her grandmother immediately upon her return home from Wolf Point.

Dale was interviewed. Although he claimed he was not in Harlem but in Billings with his kids on New Year’s Eve, DNA testing resulted in his DNA being found in Doe’s underwear, extracted from semen that was present on Doe’s underwear.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda L. Myers prosecuted the case. The FBI and Fort Belknap Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.