Of maiming and burglary in Indian Country

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma in Muskogee has announced that Morgan C. Blanton-Barnes, 24, of Roland, has been sentenced to 235 months in prison for one count of maiming and 188 months in prison for first degree burglary, both in Indian Country.

The sentences are to be served concurrently, according to a press release issued by the court.

Investigators reported on April 23, 2022, Blanton-Barnes broke into the victim’s home while the victim was sleeping and attacked the victim with an electric saw. The victim suffered severe lacerations to the back of his skull and both hands.

The crimes occurred in Sequoyah County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

On Dec. 14, 2022, Blanton-Barnes reportedly pleaded guilty to the charges.

The charges arose from investigations by the Roland Police Department, the Sequoyah County Sheriff ’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“The facts of this case are shocking, and the sentence imposed is a clear message that the justice system will hold violent offenders accountable for their heinous crimes,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.

Blanton-Barnes will remain in custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.