Charges dismissed against prominent Native artist Bunky Echo-Hawk

A Pawnee County judge dismissed the criminal case against well-known Oklahoma artist Bunky Echo-Hawk Friday, more than two years after he was accused of molesting a child.

Echo-Hawk was set to go on trial in October for lewd or indecent acts to a child under the age of 16.

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler asked the judge to dismiss the charge Friday. Kunzweiler wrote in a court filing that the case required further investigation. The charge was dismissed without prejudice, meaning it could later be refiled.

Echo-Hawk’s lawyers, Tommy Adler and Dan Good, said in a statement that they were grateful the prosecutor requested the charge to be dropped and decided not to “force an unnecessary jury trial upon a wrongfully accused man.”

“For more than two and a half years, Bunky has maintained his complete innocence against every single charge and allegation ever made against him,” the attorneys said.

What to know about the case

The case began in January 2022 after a child told police Echo-Hawk had touched them under their clothing.

Kunzweiler, whose office took over the case earlier this year, said in an email that the investigation was ongoing. He said more witnesses need to be interviewed.

“Rather than force a case of this significance – where a child is the alleged victim of years of lewd molestation – we determined that a dismissal was appropriate at this time to enable us to more fully develop the evidence,” he said.

Before his arrest, Echo-Hawk had been known nationwide as a painter and performer whose work depicted contemporary Native American life. Echo-Hawk, who is Pawnee and Yakama, also had a large following on social media.

Many museums and galleries took down his artwork in light of the accusation, and some organizations cut ties with him.

His attorneys said they hoped the dismissal would allow Echo-Hawk “to reengage in the many creative arts he contributed to the world.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence or sexual violence, help is available : StrongHearts Native Helpline, strongheartshelpline.org or 844-762-8483.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Charges dismissed against prominent Native artist Bunky Echo-Hawk