Wapato Man Sentenced to 188 Months in Prison for Violently Assaulting Two Women

YAKIMA, WA—Today, James A. McDevitt, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Nicholas D. Elwell, age 26, of Wapato, Washington, was sentenced to prison for 188 months for sexually assaulting two women. Nicholas D. Elwell will be under court supervision for 10 years after he is released from prison. He has been in custody since January 23, 2009.

Nicholas Elwell pleaded guilty to the assaults in August 2009. According to the plea agreement, Nicholas Elwell assaulted the two women on two separate occasions, in their own homes on the Yakama Indian Reservation. Nicholas Elwell is an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation. The FBI obtained a search warrant and collected DNA samples from the defendant. The FBI laboratory determined that that Nicholas Elwell was the source of the DNA obtained from the first victim.

James A. McDevitt, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, said, “the United States Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Yakama Tribal Police Department, the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wapato Police Department are committed to removing violent sex offenders from society to protect women who reside in our community.”

This investigation was conducted by the Yakama Tribal Police Department, the Wapato Police Department, the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney, Thomas Hanlon, of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington.

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