Nespelem Man Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Assaulting His Intimate Partner with a Firearm and Attempted Witness Tampering

Spokane, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that Jered Shay Picard, age 35, of Nespelem, Washington, was sentenced after pleading guilty to Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Indian Country and Attempted Witness Tampering. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Picard to 48 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, on December 13, 2024, Picard got into a fight with the victim, his intimate partner. The victim locked herself inside a pickup truck to get away from Picard. Picard then pointed a rifle at the victim’s face before firing a shot into the sky. When the victim tried to start the truck and escape, Picard shot out the front driver side tire so she could not leave. The victim recorded the incident on video. 

The next morning, the Colville Tribal Police Department located and arrested Picard and booked him into jail.

During several jail telephone calls with the victim, Picard told her to tell investigators she did not want to press charges, avoid meeting with the FBI, delete the video of the incident, and tell investigators she and Picard were drunk at the time of the incident. Picard also implied the victim should not show up to court if the case was federally prosecuted.

“Mr. Picard’s actions were both life-threatening and deeply disturbing,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard R. Barker. “He used a firearm to terrorize his intimate partner and then attempted to manipulate her into obstructing justice. This sentence reflects the grave danger posed by armed domestic abusers—not only to their current victims, but to future partners and to the integrity of the justice system itself.”

“Mr. Picard's violent and intimidating actions were inexcusable, continuing in an aggressive and dangerous pursuit even when his victim tried to flee in a vehicle. He then compounded his crimes by continuing to intimidate the victim in a brazen attempt to avoid accountability for his actions,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “I hope this sentence provides the first steps to closure and reinforces our commitment to combatting violent crime in all its forms. Along with our partners, the FBI is dedicated to making our state's tribal lands a safer place.”

Data shows that offenders with domestic violence in their past pose a high risk of homicide. In fact, domestic violence abusers with a gun in the home are five times more likely to kill their partners, and in addition to their lethality, firearms are used by abusers to inflict fear, intimidation, and coercive control. Additionally, when a violent intimate partner has access to a firearm, nonfatal abuse may increase in severity, even when firearms are not directly used in a violent incident.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Colville Tribal Police Department. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael L. Vander Giessen.

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