Five baby moccasins and a beaded leather glove are still missing, even after a Yakima man pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing them from Northern Quest Resort & Casino over four years ago.
Kevin William Wissman, 61, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty, without a plea deal in federal court in Spokane. He was charged with a misdemeanor theft from an Indian tribal organization and faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
“I did take them; I took them from the casino,” Wissman said when Judge Thomas Rice asked him to say in his own words what happened.
The family heirlooms made in the 1940s were on display in a shadow box in the Airway Heights casino’s Heritage Hall. Wissman was recorded on security cameras removing the shadow box from a display case in the early hours of Oct. 30, 2020.
A yearslong investigation led to his indictment in October 2023. He was finally arrested during a traffic stop near Yakima in January, but the items were not located.
Wissman’s public defender Adrien Fox and the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment on whether Wissman had cooperated with investigators or shared information about what happened to the artifacts.
The Kalispel Tribe of Indians continues to offer a $25,000 reward for information that leads to the safe return of the stolen items.
“We’re grateful to the Kalispel Tribal Police Department and the FBI for tracking down the person responsible for the theft of these cherished family heirlooms,” Nick Pierre, a Kalispel Tribal Council Member and general manager of Northern Quest Resort & Casino, said in a statement. “While we hope justice will be served, it doesn’t make up for the fact that the items have still not been recovered. … We encourage anyone with information to please come forward.”
To report information about the stolen items, contact the Kalispel Tribal Police Department at (509) 481-4444.
“This theft was devastating to the Kalispel Tribe of Indians and the individuals who lost their invaluable family heirlooms,” Acting U.S. Attorney Richard Barker said in a news release.
Wissman’s sentencing is scheduled for June 12.
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