Nespelem Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Multiple Assaults

Spokane – Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Vernon Mason Saulque, age 32, of Nespelem, Washington, was sentenced on Wednesday, September 3, 2014, after having previously pleaded guilty on May 21, 2014, to four counts of Assault With a Dangerous Weapon. United States District Court Chief Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson sentenced Saulque to a 21-month sentence on each count, to run consecutively, for a total of 84 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of court supervision after he is released from Federal prison.

According to information disclosed during the court proceedings, on July 13, 2013, Saulque was at the home on the Colville Indian Reservation of one of the victims, when he was asked to leave because of inappropriate behavior. A few minutes later, the four victims got into a car and left the house. About one block from the house, Saulque, who had stepped out of his truck and waited for the victims, fired 16 rounds at the car with an AR-15-22 semi-automatic rifle, striking the car 8 times. Fortunately, nobody was struck. Saulque fled in his truck. He was arrested a short time later by Colville Tribal Police.

Michael C. Ormsby stated, “firearm violence is a significant issue in this country and we are very appreciative of the hard work and complete investigation done by the Colville Tribal Police and the FBI.” The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington is, and will continue to be, committed to aggressively prosecuting violent crimes, especially those committed with firearms that occur within federal jurisdiction, including the Indian reservations in the District.

This investigation was conducted by FBI, the Colville Tribal Police Department, and the assistance of the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab. The case was prosecuted by Rudy J. Verschoor, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.

CR-13-00136-RMP