Tuesday, April 1, 2025

The most recent chapter in a federal civil rights case in Alaska is coming to an end. Lawyers in the case announced last week that the final member of the Fairbanks Four has agreed to settle his wrongful conviction suit against the city and four of its police officers. KUAC’s Patrick Gilchrist reports. The agreement comes more than seven years after the Fairbanks Four sued the city in federal court, claiming Fairbanks police had manufactured evidence to convict them for a murder they didn’t commit. The city will pay Marvin Roberts $11.5 million, says Fairbanks City Attorney Thomas Chard. “It was a pretty intense negotiation. And it involved a very experienced mediator that helped parties come to that.” The settlement means Roberts’ claims against the city and four of its police officers won’t go to a jury for trial, which was scheduled for December. Marvin Roberts Once all the terms are finalized, Chard says it will close out a lawsuit that’s been ongoing since late 2017. That’s when the four Indigenous men, coined the Fairbanks Four, first filed the civil rights lawsuit. They were convicted for the 1997 murder of teenager John Hartman. The four were released in late 2015 after another man, William Holmes, confessed that he and a group of men had killed Hartman. Multiple witnesses corroborated that confession. And one, Arlo Olson, said Fairbanks Police Department officers had coerced him to give a false statement against the Fairbanks Four. Mike Kramer is Roberts’ lawyer. “It’s just – happy to see Marvin finally get justice. That’s all he’s been asking for since he was first wrongfully arrested and accused back in 1997.” Roberts couldn’t be reached directly for comment, but he said through a press release from his lawyer’s office that no amount of money can make up for his time in prison. “This settlement, however, gives me freedom with my life, and most importantly, more time with my daughter and my parents, who supported me throughout this nightmare.” The other three members of the Fairbanks Four – George Frese, Kevin Pease and Eugene Vent – settled with the City of Fairbanks’ insurer in 2023. They agreed to drop their portion of the federal civil rights lawsuit for about $1.6 million apiece. Neither settlement required the city to admit fault or issue a formal apology. President Donald Trump speaks at the Utah State Capitol in 2017 before issuing a proclamation reducing boundaries for the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. Six tribes have formed a coalition to protect Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. As David Condos reports for the Mountain West News Bureau, the group is working to conserve tribal homelands. President Donald Trump shrunk both Grand Staircase-Escalante and nearby Bears Ears National Monument in 2017 during his first term. And some people worry history could repeat itself. Hank Stevens is a member of the intertribal coalition and part of Utah’s Navajo Nation. “With a new administration coming in, you know, there’s concerns that we’re probably gonna have the two monuments being shrunk again.” The new Trump administration issued an order to review national monuments as part of a push to expand gas production and mining on federal lands. Stevens is optimistic the federal government will collaborate with the coalition and make sure Native voices are heard. Heather Shotton. (Courtesy Fort Lewis College) A Native woman has been named the sole finalist in the search for president for Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo. Heather Shotton (Witchita and Affiliated Tribes, Kiowa and Cheyenne descent) would be the first Indigenous person to lead the institution. According to the college, her selection comes at a critical time as the college continues to reconcile with its past as a former Indian boarding school. Shotton currently serves as Vice President for Diversity Affairs and Acting Dean of Students. She has more than 20 years of experience in higher education. The board of trustees is expected to make a final decision on the finalist on April 11.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.