Inchelium Man Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Assaulting His Intimate Partner on the Colville Reservation

Spokane, Washington – First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that on December 10, 2025, United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Frederick Daniel Stensgar, age 61, of Inchelium, Washington, to 33 months in prison for Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to an Intimate Partner and Dating Partner in Indian Country, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 113(a)(7) and 1153. Judge Rice also ordered that, following imprisonment,
Stensgar must serve three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, on April 20, 2025, Stensgar struck his intimate partner with a dangerous weapon with intent to cause her bodily harm. As a result, she suffered serious bodily injury to the back of her right hand. The victim disclosed that, during an argument on the morning of Easter, Stensgar told her she needed to get out of his face, or he was going to do something to her. Stensgar grabbed an object and was going to hit the victim in the face, so she put her hand up to block the strike and it sliced her hand open. The victim was transported to a hospital, where it was determined she sustained a seven-centimeter, v-shaped laceration on the back of her right hand.

Additionally, according to court documents, Stensgar’s criminal history includes multiple convictions for violent crimes, including domestic violence. This is Stensgar’s third criminal conviction for assaulting his intimate partner.

First Assistant United States Attorney Serrano said, “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.”

“Mr. Stensgar’s repeated violence is horrifying and inexcusable, especially since it was directed against his long-term partner in their shared home,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “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 case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Colville Tribal Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael L. Vander Giessen.

2:25-cr-00098-TOR