Area OK sheriff's support Cherokee Nation's call to end rogue law enforcement

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Local law enforcement officials from the Four State area are joining forces with the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service to warn the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians that their alleged illegal law enforcement actions must stop.

Craig, Ottawa, and Delaware County Sheriff Departments support Cherokee Nation Marshal Shannon Buhl's position, as outlined in his four-page letter.

Absent any legal rights or authority, the UKB is running its Lighthorse outside of their jurisdiction, the letter states.

“​​The UKB Lighthorse are a threat to public safety on the Cherokee reservation and a threat to the rule of law in Oklahoma. The UKB has no authority or jurisdiction throughout the 7,000 square miles of the Cherokee Nation Reservation,” the letter states.

The letter states that this includes traffic stops, investigating crimes, or acting as sworn public safety officers.

Law enforcement agencies across the reservation, including 13 county sheriffs and 18 municipal police departments, signed the letter opposing the Keetoowah's actions and recognizing the Cherokee Nation’s partnership and commitment to public safety in Cherokee communities.

The main disagreement between the two Tahlequah-based Cherokee Tribes is - Lighthorse - the law enforcement arm of the Keetoowah tribe - and whether it has legal authority or jurisdiction over the entire Cherokee Nation.

As law enforcement agencies state in the letter, “[W]e hereby put the UKB on notice that they are not welcome at stops or crime scenes where our agencies are involved and if they appear, will be asked to leave. Failure to immediately vacate the scene will subject the UKB Lighthorse to potential criminal prosecution under Cherokee Nation law and potentially Oklahoma law.”

Click here to listen to Keetoowah's statement regarding the letter.

There are three federally recognized Cherokee tribes: the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, both located in Oklahoma and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, located in North Carolina. Each has its citizenship laws and requirements.

The Keetoowah tribe has over 14,000 members, each of whom must have at least 1/4 Cherokee blood quantum. Cherokee Nation is the largest tribe in the United States, with more than 450,000 tribal citizens worldwide, of whom 141,000 reside within the tribe’s reservation boundaries in northeastern Oklahoma.

Cherokee Nation Tribal citizenship is founded on a person's enrolled lineal ancestor listed on the “Dawes Roll” Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedman of the Five Civilized Tribes.

The problem came to light after a recent DUI arrest in Tahlequah was dismissed due to the Lighthorse's lack of legal jurisdiction, which made the initial stop of the vehicle.

Cherokee Nation is the sole holder of our treaties with the United States, and the tribe possesses exclusive tribal jurisdiction over the Cherokee Nation Reservation, said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.

Hoskin said in a letter to the Department of the Interior that the Keetoowah's claims to be the “real” Cherokee Nation are false.

"The facts and law do not support UKB’s false narrative," Hoskin said.

Hoskin said the Cherokee Nation will continue to offer to work constructively with the Keetoowahs within the law.