Arraignments for seven members of the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island who were arrested for operating a smokeshop on the reservation have been delayed a week.

State police raided the reservation on July 14, 2003, and shut down the smokeshop. The state charged Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas and six other tribal members with crimes related to the raid, which was broadcast on television stations nationwide.

The case was put on hold while the tribe challenged the state's actions. It ended when the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals said the state did not violate the tribe's sovereignty and could enforce its laws on the reservation.

Thomas and the six others were set to be arraigned tomorrow but the date was pushed back one week. They have brought in a new lawyer to represent them.

Get the Story:
Court action in smoke-shop case delayed (The Providence Journal 1/15)
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