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Press Release

Colville Tribal Member Sentenced to 24 Months in Federal Prison for Sending Social Media Threats to His Ex-Girlfriend

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Washington
Nespelem Man Sentenced in Federal Court

Spokane – Joseph H. Harrington, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Davis Henderson Tatshama Sr., age 36, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, was sentenced today after pleading guilty on December 17, 2020 to Threats in Interstate Commerce. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Tatshama to a 24-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal custody.

According to information disclosed during court proceedings, this case arose in January 2020 when, over the course of approximately eleven hours, Tatshama sent a series of Facebook messages to his ex-girlfriend, who is also Native American. In those messages, Tatshama threatened to kill and otherwise harm his ex-girlfriend while intending to harass and intimidate her. At the time, Tatshama was the defendant and his ex-girlfriend was the victim in two pending Colville Tribal Court cases alleging assault by strangulation and battery. Tatshama later pleaded guilty to the tribal charges and the tribal court sentenced him to 270 days’ confinement.

Acting United States Attorney Harrington said, “The sentence imposed by the Court reflects the serious nature of harassing and intimidating threats directed toward domestic violence victims who report the abuse they have suffered. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington works closely with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to ensure that Native American women and families are protected not only from domestic violence, but also from retaliation when they disclose what they have experienced.”

This case was investigated by the Spokane Resident Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Colville Tribal Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Michael L. Vander Giessen, Special Assistant United States Attorney, and Richard R. Barker, Assistant United States Attorney, for the Eastern District of Washington.

Updated March 17, 2021

Topic
Indian Country Law and Justice
Press Release Number: 2:20-cr-00064-TOR