A 61-year-old Yakima man pleaded guilty to stealing moccasins and a beaded glove from a cultural display at a resort operated by the Kalispel tribe.
Kevin William Wissman entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Spokane Wednesday to a single count of theft from Indian tribal organization.
Court records indicate that Wissman entered the plea without a plea agreement.
Wissman, according to court records, stole five baby moccasins and a beaded glove that were displayed in the Heritage Hall at the Northern Quest Resort and Casino in Airway Heights Oct. 30, 2020. The casino is operated by the Kalispel tribe.
The items, which were inside a shadow box and behind a display window, have never been recovered.
“While we hope justice will be served, it doesn’t make up for the fact that the items have still not been recovered,” said Nick Pierre, a member of the Kalispel Tribal Council and the resort’s general manager, in a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The tribe is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the return of the items. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Kalispel Tribal Police Department at 509-481-4444.
Wissman’s criminal history includes convictions for residential burglary, attempted first-degree kidnapping, theft of a firearm, second-degree burglary, second-degree escape, forgery, possessing stolen property and illegally possessing drugs.
Judge Thomas O. Rice scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 12.
Wissman is currently in the Spokane County jail on a U.S. Marshal’s hold.
