By BROOKLYN BROWN BIGMEAT
One Feather Reporter
CHEROKEE, N.C. – On the morning of Monday, July 13, Dakota Ward surrendered in Cherokee Tribal Court, with Judge Barbara “Sunshine” Parker presiding, to begin his five-year sentence for four counts of false imprisonment and child abuse in the first degree. Victim impact statements were read for the record.
Mothers Marissa Bradley-Ward and Cassandra Hill shared that their children have suffered irreversible damage from the harm Ward caused and detailed the difficulty of having to watch their children suffer and try to heal. Both mothers said five years is not enough.
Bradley-Ward shared her impact statement with the One Feather:
“Your Honor and the court, my name is Marissa Bradley, and I am the mother of Nakaiya Hill. I stand before you as a parent to say that no sentence can undo the harm that has been done to my daughter.
What was taken from her can never truly be restored. Nakaiya has had to carry fear, pain, and emotional scars that no child should ever have to endure. As her mother, I have witnessed sleepless nights, a constant battle with anxiety, behavioral struggles, a lot of tears, and the struggle to feel safe again. Those are things no parent should ever have to watch.
The impact of these crimes reaches far beyond my daughter. It has also affected our family. We live with the constant reminder of what happened.
Knowing that the defendant received only five years is incredibly difficult to accept because my daughter will carry the effects of these actions for years, perhaps even for the rest of her life. We will continue helping her heal long after the defendant has completed his punishment. My daughter deserves peace, healing, and justice.
And now to you Dakota, although nothing can erase what happened, while Nakaiya works toward healing from the pain that you caused, I hope that you take the time that has been given to you to reflect, hold yourself accountable, and find healing from whoever hurt you.
Thank you for allowing me to speak.”
Ward’s relative and a relative of the victims, Maxine Stigman, will appear in Cherokee Tribal Court Sept. 28 for charges of contributing to the delinquency, undiscipline, neglect, or abuse of minors, and tampering with witnesses, in relation to the offenses for which Ward has been convicted. Robert Saunooke is Stigman’s counsel. Judge Parker asked if Stigman waived her right to conflict-free counsel, as Ward was also represented by Saunooke. Stigman answered ‘yes.’
Criminal Complaint 25CR9913 filed Sept. 15, 2025, alleges that a victim “told Stigman the abuse was occurring on numerous occasions, and Stigman did nothing to attempt to stop the abuse in her home from happening.”
Criminal Complaint 25CR9912 filed Sept. 15, 2025, alleges that Stigman “did interfere with a criminal process by telling [minor victim] what to talk about in a Forensic Interview, hindering an active police investigation into child abuse that happened in Stigman’s home.”
In sentencing Ward, Judge Parker said that she wished she could administer a harsher sentence, but she is limited by the three-year maximum per offense in Indian Country. She urged the gallery to contact Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) members and encourage Dinilawigi to advocate for an Act of Congress for sentence expansion in tribal courts. Judge Parker also highlighted the bravery of the victims and their families in coming forward and reiterated to Ward that he must obey the 50(D) protective order that enforces lifetime no contact.
