Steven Christopher Archer, 21, of Cherokee, was sentenced on Thursday, Oct. 4 by U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger to serve 18 months in prison for statutory rape. Archer was also sentenced to five years of supervised release and was ordered to register as a sex offender.
U.S. Attorney Anne Tompkins made the announcement along with Cherokee Chief of Police Ben Reed.
Archer pleaded guilty in October 2011 to one count of statutory rape. According to filed court documents and Thursday’s sentencing hearing, in May 2011 Archer engaged in a sexual act with a minor between the ages of 12 and 16. The victim is an EBCI tribal member. Archer is non-Indian.
Archer has been in federal custody since October 2011. He will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. Federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
The investigation of the case was handled by the Cherokee Indian Police Department, and the prosecution of the case was handled by Don Gast of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville.
– U.S. District Attorney’s Office
