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FORT DUCHESNE, Uintah County — A former member of Ute Indian Tribe's governing council has been charged in tribal court with rape and three other sex offenses.
In addition to the rape charge, Richard Jenks Jr. was booked Wednesday into the Duchesne County Jail on charges of deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful sexual intercourse and sexual assault.
Duchesne County Sheriff's Lt. Jeremy Curry said he was unable to release the booking documents that detail the allegations against Jenks because he is being held in the jail under a contract with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
BIA supervisory special agent Warren Youngman referred all questions about the case to the FBI.
"This was an FBI arrest," Youngman said Friday.
FBI agent Todd Palmer with bureau's Salt Lake field office said he could not comment on the allegations against Jenks or the charges filed in tribal court.
Jenks, 58, has served more than one term on the Ute Tribe Business Committee, where he represented members of the tribe's Uncompahgre Band. The six-member Business Committee exercises executive and legislative power on the Uintah-Ouray Indian Reservation in northeastern Utah. Jenks' most recent term in office ended in April 2013.
Rape, deviate sexual intercourse and unlawful sexual intercourse are class A offenses under Ute tribal law, and carry a maximum sentence of three years in jail and a fine of up to $15,000. Sexual assault is a class B offense that carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.
Jenks made an appearance in Ute Tribal Court on Thursday, according to staff at the Duchesne County Jail. A bail amount in his case has not been set. The tribal courts and prosecutor's office are closed on Fridays.
