Ten arrested in tribal dispute
LAC DU FLAMBEAU – Members of the Lac Du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa locked themselves in a tribal center today. They refused to come out until federal officials agree to investigate allegations of corruption among tribal leaders.
Ten members of the group were arrested on tentative charges of criminal trespass, said Joe Fath, chief deputy of the Vilas County Sheriff’s Department.
A crowd gathered outside the center cheered, however, when Fath announced the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. attorney’s office had agreed to look into the situation.
Tribal police received a report about 1:30 a.m. today that people had entered the William Wildcat Tribal Center without permission, according to the Vilas County Sheriff’s Department. When tribal police and sheriff’s deputies went to the center, several people chained the doors and glued locks to prevent them from entering, the sheriff’s department said.
The people inside barricaded themselves in an office in the center, telling authorities they intend to complete a religious ceremony at sunrise and resolve the situation peacefully. They said they had tribal elders and children with them.
There was no threat of violence, Vilas County public information officer Cindy Burzinski said.
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