Redwolf Pope accused of sexual assaults fighting extradition to New Mexico

Photo provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s office shows Redwolf Pope arrested in Phoenix. (Via AP)

Police seek additional victims after Redwolf Pope arrested on sexual assault charges 

Redwolf Pope has been arrested in Phoenix, Arizona after a warrant was issued by the Santa Fe Police Department.

Santa Fe police issued an arrest warrant Monday for Pope, 41, after investigating him for more than a month on suspicion of sex crimes. The warrant accuses Pope, who police say has residences in Seattle and Santa Fe, of sexually assaulting females who appeared to have been slipped a date-rape drug.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports, local police have been investigating these and other allegations since at least early June, when Pope’s roommates told officers they had found videos that appear to show him raping unconscious women. The roommates also told police they believe he planted hidden cameras in the bathroom and other rooms of an apartment they share with him in Santa Fe and one where they sometimes stay in Seattle.

KING 5 says, Pope would also rent his Seattle apartment on Airbnb. The company has removed Pope as a host and reached out to law enforcement to offer help with the investigation.

A woman from the Seattle area told police in that city earlier this month that she believes Pope raped her in Santa Fe during a visit last year.

He was taken into custody late Tuesday night and is being held at the Maricopa County jail without bond.

Pope, is a activist who spent time at Standing Rock fighting the Dakota Access pipeline reports nativenewsonline.net. He was featured in a TEDxSeattle talking about his activism called “Lessons of Courage from Standing Rock.”

Lessons of courage from Standing Rock | RedWolf Pope | TEDxSeattle. TEDx Talks

TEDxSeattle has since removed the video of his presentation from the web.

The Seattle Times reports Pope’s LinkedIn page lists him as an attorney, however Tulalip Tribal Court Director Wendy Church said that he doesn’t work as a lawyer for the tribe and a spokeswoman for the Washington State Bar Association confirmed that Pope is not a licensed lawyer in the state.

Pope is identified in other news media as a member of the Tlingit tribe of the Pacific Northwest.

The tribe says he is not an enrolled tribal citizen.

Although Pope has been showing up at American Indian events for decades he is not Native American.

Pope is charged in Santa Fe with rape, aggravated battery, false imprisonment and other crimes.

Police in both Seattle and Santa Fe are investigating the case.

Pope has not faced any other criminal charges in New Mexico.

Juan Ríos, the public information officer for the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, said Friday that Pope is fighting extradition from Arizona to New Mexico.

The Seattle police are seeking additional victims and ask anyone with information on the case to contact the department’s Sexual Assault Unit.

Story updated July 30, 2018