We are asking the court to please consider the life story, struggles, growth, and character of an Indigenous man who has faced extraordinary hardships from childhood into adulthood.

He grew up in poverty and spent time in foster care. From a young age, he helped his mother raise his younger siblings and carried responsibilities that no child should have had to carry. As an adult, he became a father himself and has always loved and cared deeply for his children. He has made mistakes, including legal mistakes, and we do not excuse or minimize them. However, his mistakes do not define the man or father he has worked so hard to become.

During a previous incarceration, he suffered years of serious medical neglect that caused severe nerve damage and permanent vision loss. In 2023, he was diagnosed with severe glaucoma and required multiple surgeries to preserve the small amount of vision remaining in one eye. After losing his vision, he was released from custody without a clear plan or understanding of what would come next. His adult children stepped in to help him, and he eventually built a healthy and loving relationship with his current partner.

Together, they welcomed a baby. He also fought to regain custody of his special-needs son, completing parenting, anger-management, and drug-and-alcohol classes, along with random drug testing and hair-follicle testing. He passed these requirements for two years and ultimately proved to the court that he could provide a safe, stable, and loving home for his son.

He became a father not only to his biological children but also to his partner’s three children. He loves them as his own, and they became a family together. For the past three and a half years, he has worked to establish roots, build a home, care for his children, and become the man his family needs.

He is now facing new legal charges. We are not asking anyone to ignore the law, and we understand that the courts have a responsibility to hold people accountable. We are simply asking that his entire life and the person he has worked to become be considered when determining his sentence.

He is a man who values family, children, elders, his community, and especially his tribal community. He is known for being respectful, dependable, compassionate, and willing to help others. His children depend on him emotionally and spiritually. His special-needs son does not understand why his father is gone. His youngest child has known him as an everyday presence, and his absence is deeply felt. His adult children, who experienced the loss of their father during their younger years, are now hoping to continue having him in their lives.

His past mistakes helped shape him, but they do not erase his growth, his love for his family, or the positive things he has accomplished. We respectfully ask the court to show compassion and mercy and, within the law, impose the minimum sentence possible so that he may continue being a father, partner, son, community member, and source of support to the people who depend on him.

Thank you for taking the time to read his story and consider his family. If your heart and spirit lead you to support this petition, we are grateful for your voice.

May the Creator bless you and your family.