A couple from St. Lawrence County has entered guilty pleas to charges of assaulting and interfering with a federal agent following an altercation that occurred earlier this year. Richard A. Dominie, 22, and Brianna H. Rathbun, 19, admitted to their actions during incidents that began with a traffic stop and escalated into a physical confrontation with an agent of the U.S. Border Patrol.
The situation unfolded on the evening of March 12, when Dominie, with Rathbun as a passenger, drove recklessly on County Route 4 in Fort Covington, New York. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, a Border Patrol agent attempted to pull them over for the traffic violation. Dominie responded aggressively, and despite the agent identifying himself while brandishing his service weapon, he refused to comply and pulled out a folding knife, which he subsequently dropped at the agent's command.
The confrontation did not end there, as both Dominie and Rathbun exited their vehicle once again. Details from the plea reveal Rathbun physically intervened, grabbing the agent's arm and pulling him away from Dominie, who had shrugged off the agent's attempt to detain him. Rathbun would eventually get behind the wheel and flee the scene, leading to a pursuit that ended with their vehicle disabled by spike strips at a law enforcement checkpoint.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stressed the seriousness of the offenses, stating, "My office will not tolerate noncompliance of federal agents tasked with keeping this community safe. Anyone in this district who assaults or interferes with federal agents should expect to be prosecuted," as per the press release. Sentencing for the two is scheduled for November and December, with the couple facing up to a year in jail and up to $100,000 in fines. The case is currently under investigation by the U.S. Border Patrol, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Collyer leading the prosecution.
