Member of Makah Tribe sentenced to two years in prison for knife attack on intimate partner

Tacoma -A 20-year-old member of the Makah Tribe was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to two years in prison for assaulting an intimate partner with a knife, announced U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Peyton Blaise Watson stabbed his intimate partner in the neck while on property within the Lower Elwha Klallam Reservation. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright said, the assault was "violent and extremely dangerous…" The victim "was stabbed in the neck in a fit of rage that was uncontrolled. It was not due to care or avoidance of more serious injury, but really only a matter of luck that we are not here today on a much more serious charge."

"This case exemplifies our commitment to addressing crime on tribal lands - especially violent crime against vulnerable victims," said U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. "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."

According to records filed in the case, in the early morning hours of May 9, 2025, Lower Elwha Police and Clallam County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a home on the Lower Elwha Klallam Reservation where a witness called 911 to report that Watson had stabbed an adult female victim in the neck. Officers found the victim standing a few feet from Watson. Once Watson was removed from the victim's presence, she began crying and identified Watson as her assailant and that he had stabbed her in the neck. The victim was taken by ambulance to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles where she required surgery. Watson was booked into the Clallam County Jail on tribal charges. He has been in custody since the assault.

The FBI joined the investigation and secured items of evidence from the scene including a black folding knife about three inches long, an item identified by the victim and witness as the weapon.

The victim was hospitalized for five days as she recovered from her injuries. At the hospital she was able to describe for investigators how Watson attacked her and allegedly threatened to kill her.

In asking for a sentence at the low end of the sentencing guidelines range, prosecutors wrote to the court, "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. 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 on three years of federal supervision including mental health monitoring and drug treatment following his prison term.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Lower Elwha Klallam Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Celia Lee. Ms. Lee serves as a Tribal Liaison for the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Washington.