On December 10, 2025, Frederick Daniel Stensgar, a 61-year-old resident of Inchelium, Washington, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for assaulting his intimate partner on the Colville Reservation. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice and includes an additional three years of supervised release following Stensgar’s imprisonment.
Court documents state that on April 20, 2025, Stensgar struck his intimate partner with a dangerous weapon during an argument at their home. The victim reported that after being threatened by Stensgar to leave his presence or face consequences, she raised her hand to protect herself from being hit in the face. This resulted in a seven-centimeter v-shaped laceration on the back of her right hand that required hospital treatment.
The records also indicate that Stensgar has multiple prior convictions for violent offenses, including domestic violence. This is his third conviction for assaulting his intimate partner.
First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano commented: “This case exemplifies the mission of our office to ensure the criminal justice system protects victims and the public as a whole from people like Stensgar who perpetrate violence against their intimate partners, often in secret within the home.”
W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office said: “Mr. Stensgar’s repeated violence is horrifying and inexcusable, especially since it was directed against his long-term partner in their shared home. In this incident, his violent attack caused severe injury necessitating hospital treatment. The FBI and our tribal partners will continue to combat violent crime on tribal lands together, as we do throughout the state of Washington.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Colville Tribal Police Department investigated this case. Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael L. Vander Giessen prosecuted it.
