Latest news with #Wissman
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Yahoo
Man pleads guilty to stealing moccasins from Northern Quest casino, Kalispel Tribe still offering $25,000 reward
Mar. 12—Five baby moccasins and a beaded leather glove are still missing, even after a Yakima man pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing them from Northern Quest Resort and Casino over four years ago. Kevin William Wissman, 61, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty, without a plea deal in federal court in Spokane. He was charged with a misdemeanor theft from an Indian tribal organization and faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. "I did take them; I took them from the casino," Wissman said when Judge Thomas Rice asked him to say in his own words what happened. The family heirlooms made in the 1940s were on display in a shadow box in the Airway Heights casino's Heritage Hall. Wissman was recorded on security cameras removing the shadow box from a display case in the early hours of Oct. 30, 2020. A years-long investigation led to his indictment in October 2023. He was finally arrested during a traffic stop near Yakima in January, but the items were not located. Wissman's public defender Adrien Fox and the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment on whether Wissman had cooperated with investigators or shared information about what happened to the artifacts. The Kalispel Tribe of Indians continues to offer a $25,000 reward for information that leads to the safe return of the stolen items. "We're grateful to the Kalispel Tribal Police Department and the FBI for tracking down the person responsible for the theft of these cherished family heirlooms," Nick Pierre, a Kalispel Tribal Council Member and General Manager of Northern Quest Resort & Casino, said in a statement. "While we hope justice will be served, it doesn't make up for the fact that the items have still not been recovered. ... We encourage anyone with information to please come forward." To report information about the stolen items, contact the Kalispel Tribal Police Department at (509) 481-4444. "This theft was devastating to the Kalispel Tribe of Indians and the individuals who lost their invaluable family heirlooms," Acting U.S. Attorney Richard Barker said in a press release. Wissman's sentencing is scheduled for June 12. James Hanlon's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Yahoo
Man suspected of stealing Kalispel Tribe artifacts arrested near Yakima
Feb. 4—The man accused of stealing a display of handmade baby moccasins from Northern Quest Resort & Casino over four years ago will face trial in Spokane federal court next month. Kevin William Wissman, 61, was arrested during a traffic stop in the Yakima area on Jan. 15, court documents said. He is being held in the Yakima County Jail, according to the jail's roster. A shadow box containing five moccasins and a gauntlet made in the 1940s were stolen in October 2020 from a display case at the Kalispel Tribe's resort and casino in Airway Heights. The incident was caught on security cameras. Wissman is charged with theft from an Indian tribal organization, a federal misdemeanor. A grand jury in U.S. District Court for Eastern Washington indicted him in October 2023. Wissman evaded arrest for 15 months using a false identity, according to a motion by prosecutors asking that he be detained for risk of fleeing. The court documents said Wissman was previously arrested on a DUI charge, but provided a false name, then failed to appear for a required hearing. When he was apprehended Jan. 15, he reportedly provided the same false name but eventually admitted to being Kevin Wissman. He was also wearing a disguise with two hairpieces stuffed under a beanie to make him look like he had long hair, the documents said. It wasn't immediately clear what became of the artifacts. Washington State Department of Corrections' Community Response Unit, serving as part of the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force, helped with the arrest, the agency said in a statement. The task force is led by the U.S. Marshals Service, which collaborated with Kalispel Tribal Police on the investigation. The FBI, U.S. Border Patrol, Yakima County Sheriff's Office and Yakima Police Department assisted with the investigation. James Hanlon's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
