United States Attorney David E. O’Meilia
Northern District of Oklahoma

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                           CONTACT: RANDAL EDGMON

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2008                                                   918-382-2730

                                                                        RANDY.EDGMON@USDOJ.GOV

MAN GETS THREE LIFE SENTENCES FOR SEX CRIMES
AGAINST CHILDREN IN INDIAN COUNTRY

  TULSA, Okla. —United States Attorney David E. O’Meilia announced that a northeastern Oklahoma man was sentenced to three life terms in prison without parole today for crimes involving the rape and sexual abuse of young children on Indian land.

        Kimberly Chancellor, age 43, of Salina, Oklahoma, was found guilty in an earlier jury trial in July on all three counts with which he was charged: Aggravated  Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country and two counts of Attempted Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country.  Count One accused him of the forcible rape of an Indian female child under the age of twelve in the summer of 2003. Count Two accused him of attempting to rape an Indian child on January 1, 2007, and Count 3 accused Chancellor of attempting to rape by force an Indian female child under the age of 16 on May 20, 2007.  These offenses occurred in Chancellor’s home in the Kenwood Addition of Salina in Delaware County.

        Chancellor was arrested in Dallas, Texas, last March by local authorities there working with the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force.  He had fled the local area after he was charged with the crimes by a Tulsa federal Grand Jury in February.

          U.S. Attorney O’Meilia commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cherokee Nation Marshals Service for their exemplary and thorough investigation of these crimes and further stated:  “Thanks to the brave testimony of the three child victims and the hard work by law enforcement agents, this child predator will spend the rest of his life in prison.  This case is an example of the United States Attorney's Office continued commitment to aggressively prosecute both violent crimes occurring in Indian Country and sexual offenses committed against children, two of our highest priorities.”

        This prosecution proceeded in federal court because the alleged crimes occurred in Indian Country, where major criminal offenses fall under the jurisdiction of the United States Courts.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Shores and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Woodward represented the government in this case.