Oglala Sioux Tribe President Julian Bear Runner has been suspended by the tribal council for the second time in less than 2 months, this time following a misconduct complaint. The suspension began last Monday.
The council on July 8 suspended Bear Runner with pay for a month and quarantined him for 14 days, saying he’d failed to adequately inform and consult with them before ordering a COVID-19 lockdown of the Pine Ridge Reservation.
The new suspension was triggered by allegations from an individual on the reservation that Bear Runner made inappropriate physical contacts when they were alone earlier this summer.
Bear Runner will have a formal hearing before the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council, presided over by a special law judge who will be named shortly