Reber v. Steele

HENRY, Chief Judge.

Petitioner Colton Reber, a descendant of the Uintah Band Indians, was convicted in Utah state juvenile court of felony wanton destruction of wildlife, in violation of Utah Code § 23-20-4. Having exhausted his remedies through the state courts, Mr. Reber filed the present 28 U.S.C. § 2254 action in the United States District Court for the District of Utah. Mr. Reber’s § 2254 petition contends that because he is an Indian, and because the offense occurred on Indian land, the Indian tribe— not the State of Utah—is the victim of the offense. Thus, neither the Eighth District…