The sheriff in the Nebraska county with the highest percentage of Native Americans refused to allow one of his officers to testify in a domestic violence dispute on the Omaha Reservation.

The deputy had been called as backup to an Indian-on-Indian domestic dispute. The Omaha tribal court sought his testimony because he had been allegedly injured during the incident.

But the sheriff says the tribal court has no jurisdiction over a non-Indian and that the tribe was trying to use the incident as a case test for jurisdiction. He said the state retroceded its criminal jurisdiction. Nebraska used to be a Public Law 280 state.

Local officials dispute the size of the Omaha Reservation. They claim it has been diminished.

Get the Story:
Sheriff: Deputies always back up other law enforcement in county (The Sioux City Journal 3/11)

Related Stories:
Two tribes in Nebraska raising political awareness (3/10)
Non-Indians question Omaha Tribe's jurisdiction (01/21)
White rancher in Neb. arrested by tribe's police (11/21)
Farmer indicted for ramming into Omaha officials (10/24)
Farmer rams tractor into car carrying tribe officials (10/21)
Dispute over Omaha Reservation boundaries simmers (09/05)