Tribal member sentenced to 2 years for knife attack on intimate partner

A 20-year-old member of the Makah Tribe was sentenced to two years in prison Tuesday for assaulting his intimate partner with a knife in May.

Peyton Blaise Watson stabbed his intimate partner in the neck while on the Lower Elwha Klallam Reservation, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

“This case exemplifies our commitment to addressing crime on tribal lands — especially violent crime against vulnerable victims,” U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd stated. “This was a shocking and unprovoked assault that easily could have been fatal. A term of incarceration will serve to protect the public and the victim. I hope that time in custody will give Watson an opportunity to reform his behavior.”

Knife attack victim hospitalized for several days

Early in the morning on May 9, Lower Elwha Police and the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a home where a witness reported that Watson had stabbed an adult woman in the neck.

As officers arrived, they found the woman standing a few feet away from Watson. After Watson was removed from the immediate area, the woman began to cry and identified Watson as her assailant.

The woman was later transported to the Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles, where she required surgery. Watson was booked into the Clallam County Jail on tribal charges and has been in custody since the assault.

The FBI joined the investigation and seized items from the scene as evidence, which included a black folding knife roughly three inches long. The knife was identified as the weapon by the woman and witnesses.

In total, the woman was hospitalized for five days while she recovered from her injuries. While in the hospital, she described to investigators how Watson had attacked her and allegedly threatened to kill her.

“Crafting a sentencing recommendation in this case is difficult because Watson easily could have killed [the victim] when he stabbed her in the neck with a deadly weapon. However, this appears to be an isolated incident of extreme violence,” prosecutors wrote to the court, requesting a lower sentencing. “Prior to nearly killing [the victim], Watson was not known to be violent. Moreover, at the time of the offense, he was (and is) quite young and had no criminal history.”

Watson will be placed under three years of federal supervision following his prison term, including mental health monitoring and drug treatment.

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