Man Sentenced to Seven and One-Half Years' Imprisonment for Manslaughter

YAKIMA, WA—Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Lance Frank, age 35, of Harrah, Washington, was sentenced for the death of Daniel Simmons. Lance Frank was sentenced to a 90-month term of imprisonment, which will be followed by a three-year term of court supervision. Lance Frank, an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation, has been held in custody since his arrest on July 20, 2009.

The death of Daniel Simmons, an enrolled member of the Quinault Indian Nation, resulted from a violent altercation that occurred on July 19, 2009, between Daniel Simmons and Lance Frank and others. The crime occurred within the external boundaries of the Yakama Nation. In his guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter, Lance Frank admitted he struck Daniel Simmons on the head with a baseball bat, causing Daniel Simmons to fall to the ground and stop moving. During the altercation, Daniel Simmons sustained multiple blunt impacts, blunt force trauma to his head, and a fractured skull. He later died from the injuries he sustained during the altercation.

Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, said: “This case is a prime example of the investigatory partnership among the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Yakama Tribal Police Department, the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office. Each of these partner agencies is committed to vigorously investigating violent crime occurring on the Yakama Nation Reservation and to bring offenders to justice.”

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