Federal Grand Jury sitting in Bay City, MI returns 8-count felony indictment in tribal case: Norman Cyr accused of severely abusing a child and be an habitual domestic violence offender on the Isabella Reservation
Listen to rare federal court audio of two of his hearings
Owner, News Director
**This is part of the U.P. Breaking News ongoing series to help reveal, highlight and hopefully combat domestic violence crimes against children, women and men across northern Michigan Indian Country in honor of our late friend and a leader to end tribal DV Tillie Back Bear – who brought her message to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from the Rosebud Reservation
(Bay City, MI) – A northern Michigan federal grand jury has indicted a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan on charges that over the past three years he allegedly beat, abused, choked and in several other ways otherwise injured a young female child and is accused of allegedly abusing his girlfriend over a long period of time as an habitual offender – and a deadline has been set for a plea agreement.
If convicted, Norman Joaquin Cyr could be sentenced to over a half century in prison and fined $2 million dollars. Federal charges were brought because Cyr has three previous family violence convictions in Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Court in March 2000, October 2002, and January 2005. Cyr remains jailed pending a trial or plea on the 8-count, 6-page federal felony indictment.
Cyr is accused in a federal indictment of several counts of child abuse for allegedly injuring a young female child. The following child abuse against the girl was alleged in the indictment: Strangling, choking, hitting in the face, arm twisting, pushing and kicking down stairs, putting in headlock and more.
Last Friday – October 7, 2016, federal prosecutors filed a document about discovery issues that have been or will be given to the defense.
To see the federal documents and hear rare federal court audio in this case click on this link:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8ld6n59dv3p1j5s/AAD6aR0KFP3juOCYaxBuc88va?dl=0
Cyr was also indicted on charges he was allegedly an habitual domestic violence offender allegedly tryng to strangle and otherwise abuse against his girlfriend/wife.
All the recent crimes were alleged to have occurred on the Isabella Reservation over the past three years.
A federal grand jury sitting in Bay City, MI returned the 8-count felony indictment on September 14, 2016 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Northern Division.
The federal prosecutors in the case are Asst. U.S. Attorney Roy R. Kranz in Bay City, Asst. U.S. Attorney Craig F. Wininger (branch offices chief) and Eastern District of Michigan U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade. Cyr is being represented by the U.S. Public Defenders Office.
The federal judges involved in the case are U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia T. Morris and U.S. District Court Judge Thomas L. Ludington.
Judge Ludington on Sept. 29, 2016 set several crucial dates including a Feb. 14, 2017 deadline for a plea agreement and a trial date of March 7, 2017 at 8:30 a.m. Any plea deal can be held before Magistrate Judge Morris, under an agreement between the defense and prosecutors.
Cyr is a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan (SCIT)
In a tribal casino photo about a donation to the Flint Water Crisis last October, Cyr was identified as a SCIT Distribution Center Inventory Control Driver.
The dates and alleged charges are:
Victim #1 Young female child – identified in federal documents using initials G.C.:
Count 1
Child abuse in the third degree at the Isabella Reservation
April 22, 2016
Indictment reads Norman Joaquin Cyr “knowingly and intentionally caused physical harm and committed an act that under the circumstances posed an unreasonable risk of harm or injury and the act resulted in physical harm to G.C., a child, by striking G.C. in the face, strangling G.C., putting G.C. into a headlock, and twisting G.C.’s arm”
Count 2
April 22, 2016 on the Isabella Reservation
Indictment reads Norman Cyr “knowingly and intentionally caused physical harm and committed an act that under the circumstances posed an unreasonable risk of harm or injury and the act resulted in physical harm to G.C., a child, by striking G.C. in the face, strangling G.C., putting G.C. into a headlock, and twisting G.C.’s arm”
Count 3
Child abuse in the second degree
Dec. 2015 to January 2016 on the Isabella Reservation
on the Isabella Reservation
Indictment reads Norman Cyr “knowingly and intentionally committed an act that was likely to cause serious physical harm and that was cruel to G.C., a child, by kicking her down some stairs”
Count 4
Child Abuse in the third degree
Dec. 2015 to January 1016 on the Isabella Reservation
Indictment reads Norman Cyr knowingly and intentionally caused physical harm and committed an act that under the circumstances posed an unreasonable risk of harm or injury and the act resulted in physical harm to G.C., a child, by kicking her down some stairs”
—
Second Victim
Female living with Cyr – identified in federal documents using initials A.D.
Count 5
Domestic assault by an habitual offender
July 2013 on the Isabella Reservation
Indictment reads Norman Cyr assaulted A.D., who was a person he cohabitated with as a spouse, after having been convicted of family violence in the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Court on or about March 15, 2000; October 10,2002; and January 3,2005,, all of which involved a victim who was a spouse or intimate partner”
Count 6
Assault of an Intimate or Dating Partner by Strangulation or Attempted Strangulation
July 2013 on the Isabella Reservation
Indictment reads Norman Cyr “assaulted A.D., his spouse and intimate and dating partner by attempting to strangle and by strangling her”
—
Victim #1 Young female child – identified in federal documents using initials G.C.:
Count 7
Child abuse in the second degree
July 2013 on the Isabella Reservation
Indictment reads Norman Cyr knowingly and intentionally committed an act that was likely to cause serious physical harm and that was cruel to G.C., a child, by pushing G.C. up against a wall and strangling.”
Count 8
Child abuse in the second degree
July 2013 on the Isabella Reservation
Indictment reads Norman Cyr “knowingly and intentionally caused physical harm and committed an act that under the circumstances posed an unreasonable risk of harm or injury and the act resulted in physical harm to G.C., a child, by pushing G.C. up against a wall and strangling G.C.”
—
If Cyr is convicted or pleads guilty, he can face the following sentences and fines that amount to 51 years in prison and a $2 million dollar fine:
Counts 1, 3, 7:
Up to 10 years/up to $250,000 fine/SR
Counts 2, 4, 8:
Up to 2 years/up to $250,000 fine/SR
Count 5:
Up to 5 years/up to $250,000 fine/SR
Count 6:
Up to 10 years/up to $250,000 fine/SR
Related Info and links:
Norman Jaoquin Cyr
CASE NO: l6-CR-20626
http://www.sagchip.org/tribalobserver/archive/2015-pdf/110115-v26i11.pdf
Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan
http://www.sagchip.org/tribalobserver/article.aspx?article=2145#.WACDQCRyyRk
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas L. Ludington
U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia T. Morris
Upper Peninsula Breaking News by Greg Peterson 