Police Blotter: IHS pediatrician convicted of sexual abuse

BISMARCK

Stanley Patrick Weber, 70, of Spearfish, South Dakota, was found guilty by a federal jury of five counts of aggravated sexual abuse and three counts of sexual abuse of a minor following a weeklong jury trial in Rapid City, South Dakota, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Interior.

Evidence at the trial, which ended in a conviction on Sept. 27, established that Weber, while employed as a pediatrician with the Indian Health Service at Pine Ridge, sexually abused minors between 1999 and 2011.

Aggravated sexual abuse carries a penalty of a mandatory minimum of 30 years up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, a minimum of five years up to lifetime supervised release, and a $500 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Sexual abuse of a minor carries a penalty of 15 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, a minimum of five years up to lifetime supervised release, and a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each count. Restitution may also be ordered.

Assistant U.S. attorneys Sarah B. Collins and Eric Kelderman prosecuted and tried the case.

A sentencing date is set for Feb. 10, 2020. Weber was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Winslow man arrested for possession

HOLBROOK, Ariz. – On Sept. 17 Pete Anthony Chavez Jr. was booked for possession of dangerous drugs for sale, five counts of misconduct with weapons and fleeing from law enforcement, according to a news release from the Holbrook County Sheriff’s Office.

Chavez’s bond is currently set at $50,000 cash only.

On Sept. 17, detectives executed a search warrant on Chavez’s residence in Winslow. Detectives were conducting surveillance on Chavez waiting for him to leave his residence to avoid a possible barricade situation due to Chavez’s violent history and him known to being armed with firearms.

Chavez left his residence and a deputy attempted to pull him over on a traffic stop, but Chavez refused to stop.

Chavez circled his residence a few times and finally stopped in front of his house but refused to get out of his vehicle. Chavez refused to follow commands and yelled at deputies, “Shoot me!” multiple times.

Chavez was finally removed from the vehicle by deputies with no injuries to anyone.

The search warrant of the residence revealed six ounces of meth, drug paraphernalia and four firearms. One of the firearms recovered was reported stolen in Winslow.

Info needed on poacher of bull elk

PINETOP, Ariz. — The Arizona Game and Fish Department is investigating the poaching of a bull elk that was killed in late August north of Heber in Game Management Unit 4B, according to a news release from Game and Fish.

The elk was located west of Forest Road 153 near Point and Javelina water catchments. The poacher left the meat to waste.

“Someone may have information about this case,” said Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Manager Ken Clay. “We need assistance from the public to find the individual(s) responsible. This is the action of a criminal — it’s theft of wildlife resources from the people of Arizona.”

At the time the poaching occurred, many hunters were scouting for upcoming hunts and outdoor recreationists were in the area, meaning they may have seen something or have valuable information about this crime.

Anyone with information about this case can call the AZGFD’s Operation Game Thief hotline at 800-352-0700 or visit www.azgfd.gov/thief and refer to case No. 19-003199.

Callers may remain anonymous upon request and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,500 in this case upon arrest.

An additional $2,500 reward is being offered by the Arizona Elk Society and $2,500 by the Arizona Deer Association upon arrest and conviction of the poachers.

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