Washington Bureau of Indian Affairs official charged with sexual assault of prisoner

September 10 – Earlier this week, charges were filed against a Bureau of Indian Affairs officer for allegedly sexually assaulting and threatening a prisoner he was transporting in February.

Darren Bowannie, 34, has been charged with misdemeanor abuse of rights in federal court and made his initial court appearance on Monday, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington.

According to the jail roster, he has been in custody at the Spokane County Jail since Friday.

Bowannie was tasked with transporting individuals under the custody of the Spokane Indian Tribe and the BIA to and from the Colville Tribal Correctional Facility in Nespelem, Washington.

On February 9, he was working as a correctional officer for the BIA when he transported a woman from Wellpinit, Washington, to the Nespelem facility. He is accused of threatening and sexually assaulting her during the trip.

“Our society places great trust in law enforcement. Every day, we rely on police officers to put themselves in harm's way to protect our communities and uphold their oath to protect and serve,” said Vanessa Waldref, U.S. Attorney for Eastern Washington. “When law enforcement fails to uphold that trust, my office will carefully investigate allegations of misconduct and seek justice to restore trust, protect victims, and keep our communities safe and strong.”

The FBI is continuing to investigate the incident. If convicted, Bowannie faces life in prison.