SPOKANE, WA – A 37-year-old Omak man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for assaulting his intimate partner on the Colville Indian Reservation. The sentencing was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Richard R. Barker on March 26, 2025.

Louis Lee Zacherle was convicted on August 3, 2024, of Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to a Spouse, Intimate Partner, or Dating Partner in Indian Country. In addition to the 60-month prison term, he will serve three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, the incident occurred on the evening of December 7, 2023. During an argument, Zacherle retrieved an ax from a shed, returned to the kitchen, and hit the victim in the face, knocking her down. He then kicked her repeatedly while wearing boots.

The victim was treated for injuries to her face and scalp, two broken ribs, and a puncture wound that extended into her chest wall.

“Domestic violence is one of the root causes underlying the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons crisis impacting Native communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Barker. He credited the DOJ’s Office on Violence Against Women and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudy Vander Giessen for prosecuting the case in coordination with the Kalispel, Spokane, and Colville Tribes.

FBI Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington stated, “We will not tolerate domestic violence on our state’s reservations, and it is a crime we will vigorously investigate.”