A loan officer with the Department of Agriculture was arrested and charged for an incident on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana in February, The Washington Post reports.

Patrick Turner was on the reservation to appraise a ranch owned by Roy "Tony" Anderson, who is Sioux. Turner admitted he hit one of Anderson's neighbors, who he said was blocking the door to his truck, the paper reported, but the charge was dropped under a deferred prosecution agreement two weeks ago.

Indian ranchers and farmers have long accused Turner of discrimination. Ernie Bighorn, also from Fort Peck, filed two complaints against Turner when he sought a loan in 1999.

More recently, Lucille Holen said Turner threatened her 14-year-old son in February. Holen also lives at Fort Peck.

"He was yelling at me, calling me a thief," James Holen, the son, told the Post. "He had his finger in my face, his other hand was clenched in a fist."

Get the Story:
Native American farmers and ranchers press USDA on bias complaints (The Washington Post 7/30)

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