A 22-year-old Towaoc man has been sentenced to 87 months in federal prison after admitting he sexually assaulted his former partner on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation. The sentence, handed down Tuesday in federal court in Durango, will be followed by three years of supervised release.
Sentence and Plea Details
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, Bentley Watts Jr., 22, pleaded guilty and was ordered to serve 87 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The plea agreement states that on June 15, 2024, on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation, Watts Jr. attacked his former intimate partner by dragging her to his bedroom, punching her multiple times, putting her in a chokehold, sexually assaulting her, and hitting her with a crowbar. At the time of the assault, a Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Court domestic violence protection order was in place that barred him from contacting the victim.
Tribal and Federal Response
FBI Denver highlighted the sentencing on X, emphasizing that the bureau will continue to pursue accountability for violent crime on tribal lands. “We will continue to hold those responsible for violent crimes on tribal lands accountable,” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Amanda Koldjeski wrote in the post.
Court and Investigation
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reported that United States District Court Judge Gordon P. Gallagher presided over the case, which is listed as 1:24-cr-00230-GPG-JMC. The Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Ute Mountain Ute Agency and the FBI’s Durango Resident Agency investigated the assault, and Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Franceware prosecuted the case.
