‘Floored’ by Schimmel’s Arrest
After leaving the W.N.B.A., Schimmel coached a girls’ high school team during the 2018-19 season on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. She had settled into a much less visible basketball life until June 14, 2021, when she was arrested by the Umatilla tribal police on charges of felony assault and criminal mischief and misdemeanor counts including domestic abuse, menacing, reckless endangerment and harassment.
In a tribal court, officials said, the maximum sentence for a domestic violence conviction is a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. But the U.S. attorney’s office in Portland is handling the case because the Major Crimes Act, enacted in 1885, gives the federal government primary jurisdiction over more serious felonies when the accused and the victim are Native Americans and the incident happens on tribal lands.
The federal government’s role in the case is a concern among tribal leaders. The government has been frequently criticized for inadequate resolve in investigating crimes against Native American women, especially involving rape, murder and disappearances. When federal authorities do prosecute a high-profile case, Watchman said, disparities become apparent in the way similar cases involving non-Native Americans are…
