Choctaw Nation Court Sentences Idabel Resident of Child Sexual Abuse and Child Neglect within Choctaw Reservation

DURANT, Okla. – A Choctaw Nation judge sentenced Bradley James Hill, 41, of Idabel, Okla., on one felony count of Child Sexual Abuse and one felony of Child Neglect in violation of the CNO Criminal Code on June 24, 2025.

The defendant was also prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma for the same offenses and sentenced to 37 months. The Choctaw Nation elected to exercise its sovereignty and prosecuted the defendant, who entered a plea of no contest to both charges. The defendant was sentenced to three years imprisonment on each count, to be served following the completion of his federal sentence, which was the maximum allowable sentence. Sentencing in tribal courts conforms with the federal Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010, which imposes such limits. Choctaw Nation District Judge Richard Branam presided over the plea and the sentencing.

Tribal Prosecutor D. Michael Haggerty, II, represented the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. According to Haggerty, the sentences resulted from an investigation by the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police.

“One of the advantages of our sovereignty is that we can seek justice for our tribal members when they cannot get it elsewhere,” said Haggerty. “Hopefully, the victim and her family can have some vindication and closure because of this sentence and begin the healing process.”