Defendant later Cut Electronic Monitoring Bracelet and Fled
from Court Supervision
A 20-year-old
enrolled member of the Puyallup Tribe was sentenced today in U.S. District
Court in Seattle to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release
for assault by strangulation, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran. SHAWN MICHAEL SAM of Tacoma was indicted in
November 2017 for an assault that occurred on the Swinomish Reservation on
October 15, 2017. SAM punched and
strangled his then-girlfriend to the point that she lost consciousness. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour
imposed the sentence.
According
to records filed in the case, the victim suffered significant injuries
including black eyes, tenderness, and swelling.
After SAM strangled his victim, he continued to punch and hit her after
she regained consciousness. Following
his arrest for this assault, SAM was released with electronic monitoring. However, he cut the monitoring bracelet on
May 2, 2018, and was ultimately located nearly four weeks later at his sister’s
home in Tacoma. When law enforcement
arrived, SAM ran from police but was taken into custody following a foot chase.
Swinomish
Chairman Brian Cladoosby wrote to the court, “We take these matters very
seriously and we will not tolerate this behavior in our community. The Violence Against Women Act is important
for our State and Nation and protects the most vulnerable in our communities.
We support Judge Coughenour to uphold justice for the victims and support his
decision.”
SAM
pleaded guilty August 29, 2018.
The case
was investigated by the Swinomish Police Department and the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United
States Attorneys Rebecca Cohen and J. Tate London. Ms. Cohen and Mr. London serve as Tribal
Liaisons for the U.S. Attorney’s Office specially designated to prosecute cases
involving Tribal communities.
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