Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said the Fort Peck Tribes cited the state game warden. It was the Fort Belknap Indian Community.

Tribal leaders passed a resolution last year denying state game officials access to the reservation without permission. Photo from Fort Belknap Indian Community

The Fort Belknap Indian Community cited a Montana game warden for criminal trespass after a lengthy ordeal on Saturday.

Tribal police officers detained the warden for 5 1/2 hours, The Billings Gazette reported. They cited a resolution passed by the tribal council that bars the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks from crossing the reservation without explicit permission.

The resolution cites “ongoing actions by the Fish and Game Officers of the State of Montana to ignore the status of Reservation lands and hunting rights in treaty areas and to target enrolled members of the Tribes with focused enforcement activities," the Gazette reported.

The Montana Department of Justice has been asked to look into the incident. Meanwhile, tribal and FWP officials are holding a previously-scheduled meeting today. The jurisdiction issue will be raised, a state official said.

Get the Story:
State game warden detained for 5 1/2 hours by tribal officials outside Hays (The Billings Gazette 9/15