Federal Jury Convicts Man of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury

MARQUETTE - U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey announced that a federal jury convicted Kyle Lee Dean, (45, L'Anse, Michigan) of assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Dean will be sentenced in 2026.

On January 20, 2024, Dean went to the victim's house that is inside the L'Anse Reservation of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, got into a fist fight, and then stabbed the victim nearly a dozen times. Based on the testimony at trial, but for the work of first responders and the doctors at Baraga County Memorial Hospital and Upper Peninsula Health System (UPHS) - Marquette, the victim would have died from his injuries.

"My office will work tirelessly to prosecute those people who commit violent crimes within Indian Country," said U.S. Attorney VerHey. "We prioritize ensuring that our tribal communities are safe and will hold individuals like Dean accountable to ensure that safety."

"FBI Detroit works tirelessly to investigate violent crimes committed on Indian Reservations. The conviction of Kyle Dean for his brutal and malicious attack within the L'Anse Reservation of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community sends a clear message that the FBI will be relentless in pursuing those who bring harm to tribal communities and securing justice for their victims," said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. "I am grateful for the partnership and dedicated investigative work from the members of our FBI Marquette Resident Agency, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Police, the Village of L'Anse Police, and the Michigan State Police. We also recognize the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan for securing this important conviction."

The FBI, Michigan State Police, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Police, and Village of L'Anse Police investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hanna Rutkowski and Theodore Greeley are prosecuting it.

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