Wesley Wayne Sutton, a resident of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for arson in Indian Country. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced the sentencing following an investigation by the Tahlequah Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Sutton, aged 60, pleaded guilty on October 23, 2024. According to investigators, he committed the crime on July 1, 2024. Sutton reportedly approached a residence in Tahlequah, broke one window and attempted to break another before using gasoline to set fire to the front door. He then entered the building and assaulted a resident. This incident took place in Cherokee County within the Cherokee Nation Reservation boundaries.
Chief U.S. District Judge Ronald A. White presided over the hearing at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Sutton will remain under the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until he is transported to a designated facility under the United States Bureau of Prisons to serve his sentence without parole.
The case was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Gross.