Glendive police chief faces charges for alleged hunting violations

The Glendive police chief faces possible charges for alleged hunting violations on a reservation and two counts of witness tampering.

Court documents filed last Thursday allege that Jeremy Lee Swisher was in possession of three big-eared deer antlers that came from bucks illegally killed on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

An investigation by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks found that he had not purchased hunting licenses, according to court documents.

The Montana Attorney General’s Office filed three charges: one count of illegal possession, shipment or transportation of wildlife and two counts of witness tampering.

According to Assistant Attorney General Michael Gee, these bucks were killed by Swisher in December 2021, before Swisher was chief.

A court document states that Swisher said:

• He killed these three mule deer bucks on the Fort Peck Reservation;
• He was asked to do so;
• That it was legal because he was with a tribal member;
• That he got them (the tribe) to give him a letter saying that everything was fine.

Click here to read the documents.

The filing also states that under Title 19 of the Fort Peck Tribes Comprehensive Code of Justice, “there is no provision permitting non-members to hunt deer alone or in the company of a tribal member. Hunting of mule deer on the reservation by non-tribal members is strictly prohibited.”

Investigators allege Swisher then illegally transported the deer to his former home in Louisiana and then to his office in Glendive.

The state alleges that Swisher attempted to induce or otherwise induce witnesses to give false statements or withhold information from investigators.

A first court date has been scheduled for July 9.

Swisher was also ordered to report to the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office that day to be fingerprinted, photographed and registered.

Q2 contacted the Glendive police but was told that Swisher was unavailable.