George Allen Lambert, 47, was found guilty on Tuesday, Nov. 5 after a two-day jury trial in Federal Court in Asheville of one count of Assault Inflicting Serious Bodily Injury and one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm. The maximum punishment for these each of these offenses is 10 years’ imprisonment. A date for sentencing has not been set.
Lead Tribal Prosecutor and Special Assistant United States Attorney Justin Eason said, “The Federal Courts provide an unparalleled forum for the administration of justice, and cases of serious violence should be pursued to the utmost. It is the obligation of the Prosecutor’s Office to combat it with every tool available to us. The Special Assistant United States Attorney status agreement allows for serious cases such as this to receive prioritization and attention from start to finish. Cherokee is fortunate to have an excellent working relationship with its Federal partners. I would especially like to recognize the diligence and professionalism displayed by our Tribal Police in the investigation of this case, and to thank Det. Jason Howell for his efforts in seeing this case through, as well as Tribal Liaison John Pritchard with the United States Attorney’s Office for his assistance in securing justice in this matter.”
– Office of the EBCI Tribal Prosecutor release
