Former Mille Lacs Band police chief sentenced to 28 years for sexually assaulting a child beginning in 2009

FARGO, N.D. (KFGO) – A former police chief of the Mille Lacs Band has been sentenced to more than 28 years in prison for sexually assaulting a child beginning around 2009 when she was six or seven and continuing for six years.  

In 2021, the victim recorded a phone call when 75-year-old Russell Bankey of Garrison admitted to the abuse and apologized. When she asked why, he said “I guess I was lonesome.”  

Bankey’s attorney asked the judge for probation, arguing Bankey is remorseful, has the support of his family, and experienced “horrific abuse” as a child.  

In a separate case, Bankey is accused of assaulting another child on more than one occasion in 1991. 

Story by Ryan Janke / KFGO