Twyla
Dawn Basil, 33, Bonners Ferry, was sentenced by
federal judge Edward J. Lodge to four
months in a residential re-entry center, three
years probation and three years probation after
pleading guilty in federal court to
misprision of a felony.As part of probation, she must obtain her general equivalency diploma (GED), and complete 40 hours of community service.
She entered the plea October 31, admitting that she'd acted as lookout for two people who entered her uncle's home at the Kootenai Tribal Mission and stole firearms. Because the crime occurred on tribal lands and Basil and the victim are both members of the Kootenai Tribe, the FBI assisted the Boundary County Sheriff's Office in the investigation and the case was prosecuted in federal court with U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olsen prosecuting.
While seldom heard in modern courts of law, the crime of misprision of a felony has been on the books in many states for centuries, adapted from an old English law in effect since the 1400s.
It's defined as "whoever, having knowledge of the actual commission of a felony cognizable by a court of the U.S., conceals and does not as soon as possible make known the same to some judge or other person in civil or military authority under the U.S. 18 USC Misprision of felony, is the like concealment of felony, without giving any degree of maintenance to the felon for if any aid be given him, the party becomes an accessory after the fact."
In Idaho,she faced a maximum of up to three years in prison, a fine up to $250,000, and up to one year of supervised release.