Musician, former Tribal Lawmaker Sentenced to 5 Years for Sex Abuse

A Dunmore man who sexually abused a child on the Crow Indian Reservation was sentenced Thursday, July 23, to five years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said in a press release.

Following a three-day trial in February 2026, a jury found Jared Cordell Stewart, 55, guilty of one count of abusive sexual contact of a child.

The government alleged in court documents and at trial that in July 2020 a child spoke out about Stewart sexually abusing her. However, during a follow-up visit from law enforcement, the victim denied the abuse.

About a year later, in October 2021, the police again spoke with the victim. This time she said Stewart had sexually abused her many times, beginning when she was 7 or 8 years old, and that she had lied to them previously at the direction of Stewart. Law enforcement interviewed everyone who lived in the home, and many reported seeing Stewart go into the victim’s room at night and after she showered. 

Others who lived in the home reported seeing Stewart treat the victim differently and saw inappropriate photos of her on his cell phone. One child reported that while he was visiting the home he witnessed Stewart touch the victim’s legs while she was in bed. Another child reported Stewart made inappropriate comments about her and approached her while she was alone and asleep in her room. She said she refused Stewart’s advances, and she believes Stewart thereafter targeted the victim.

Stewart has been a prominent figure on the Crow Reservation. He released several studio albums and also appeared at the now-defunct Magic City Blues Festival in Billings. Stewart previously served in the Crow Tribal legislature.