The director of social services for the Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation of North Dakota has been charged for a domestic violence incident, The Grand Forks Herald reports.

Mark Little Owl is accused of hitting a woman at an apartment in Grand Forks. He allegedly stole the woman's cell phone and physically threw a boy, believed to be one of his sons, when the boy tried to intervene.

The incident occurred on August 21, 2012. That was shortly after the tribe hired him to run its troubled social services program.

A few weeks later, the tribe asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs to take control of its social services. That left Little Owl with fewer duties under a four-year contract that he signed.

Little Owl intends to plead not guilty to charges of theft, simple assault and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, his attorney told The Grand Forks Herald. The tribe was informed of the case earlier this month, the paper said.

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Spirit Lake official faces charges (The Grand Forks Herald 1/23)

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