Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that Louis Lee Zacherle, 37, from Omak, Washington, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison. Zacherle was convicted for assault resulting in substantial bodily injury to a spouse, intimate partner, or dating partner in Indian Country. The conviction followed a jury trial on August 13, 2024. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice delivered the sentence of 60 months in prison with an additional three years of supervised release.
The incident occurred on December 7, 2023, at a home on the Colville Indian Reservation where Zacherle and his intimate partner were involved in an argument. Court documents revealed that during the dispute, Zacherle retrieved an ax from a shed and began damaging kitchen cabinets before assaulting his partner by hitting her face and kicking her while she was down.
The victim required medical treatment for facial and scalp injuries along with two broken ribs. Additionally, doctors treated her for a condition involving air leakage from her lung into her chest wall.
“Domestic violence is one of the root causes underlying the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons crisis impacting Native American Communities,” stated Acting United States Attorney Rich Barker. He highlighted the role of Michael Vander Giessen as Special Assistant United States Attorney who handles domestic violence cases arising on Tribal land in Eastern Washington.
W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office said: “What began as a disagreement quickly turned into a brutal assault resulting in serious injury.” He added that the FBI would not tolerate domestic violence on state reservations and would vigorously investigate such crimes.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Colville Tribal Police Department with prosecution led by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael L. Vander Giessen and former Assistant United States Attorney Timothy J. Ohms.
