Alaska COA Remands Criminal Sentencing to Address Claims of Bias against Defendant Named “Osceola”

Here is the opinion in State v. Osceola.

An excerpt:

The superior court referred to Osceola’s Native American heritage during its sentencing remarks and when it later issued its order denying Osceola’s request to modify the judgment to reflect only the name “Michael Draco Osceola”. The court remarked that Osceola had shown little pride in his heritage because one of the targets of his thefts was a business run by Alaska Natives. The court further remarked that the original Seminole chief Osceola had been one of the judge’s boyhood heroes, and the court expressed disappointment that a namesake of Chief Osceola would engage in criminal behavior.