Kolby KickingWoman
ICT
MISSOULA, Montana — The Blackfeet Nation announced the resignation of council member Timothy Davis effective March 24, following his recent arrest on drug-related charges.
“I understand the importance and the high standard of conduct that each member of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council must conduct oneself, which is why I am resigning,” Davis said in a press release from the tribe dated March 23.
Both the tribal council and law enforcement services released press releases on either Davis’ resignation and investigation. However, neither agency returned calls or answer questions to clarify details.
Davis had been recently arrested on March 16 related to an investigation into fentanyl pills at his residence. He was charged with “two counts of Accountability, one count of Disorderly Conduct and one count of Threatening a Public Official,” a press release from the tribe stated.
According to the release, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services recovered about 1.2 pounds of methamphetamines at Davis’ house. The amount of the substance reportedly has a street value of about $70,000.
The release stated the tribe recognizes that Davis is innocent until proven guilty but that “the office of an elected official of the Blackfeet Nation is evaluated under a different standard,” which is why removal proceedings were initiated.
However, the press release did address directly drug dealing crimes on the reservation.
“The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council is taking a hard stance against all dangerous drugs on the Blackfeet Nation,” the press release states. “Drug dealers should be aware that their time is limited, and we will aggressively seek to remove all drug dealers off the Blackfeet Reservation.”
The tribe scheduled an expulsion hearing on Monday to give Davis the opportunity to answer questions on the charges. However, the expulsion hearing was canceled after Davis tendered his resignation.
Davis declined to comment when reached via phone.
The resignation of Davis ends a tumultuous tenure on the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council. Davis previously served as chairman before being unanimously removed by the council in April of 2022, after eight people were arrested at his home on drug-related charges.
Davis was not arrested in that incident. According to a release from the special assistant U.S. Attorney, Davis was not home at the time of the incident.
“In order to correct any misinformation that may be in circulation, let me confirm that Chairman Davis was not charged or arrested yesterday morning, and was not in the home at the time of the search,” stated Josh Lamson, special assistant U.S. attorney for the Blackfeet tribe in a statement released April, 2022.
Davis also voted to remove himself from the position of chairman, at that time.
With the resignation of Davis official, the tribe has declared his position vacant and has begun the process of a special election.
Potential candidates have until April 7 to sign up for the special election. Voting will take place April 25.
The winning candidate will be sworn in during the general council session on May 4.
Editor’s note: The candidate pool for the Blackfeet tribal special election is expected to include an immediate family member of the reporter. That fact had no bearing on neither the reporting nor writing of this piece.
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