SEATTLE — A 19-year-old man has been indicted and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Peyton Blaise Watson allegedly stabbed his domestic partner in the neck on May 9 at a home on the Lower Elwha Klallam Reservation, and the woman was taken by ambulance to Olympic Medical Center, where she required surgery, according to the Department of Justice.
A grand jury returned a two-count indictment last week, the Department of Justice said.
Watson remained at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac on Tuesday. A trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 18, the Department of Justice said.
Assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in severe bodily injury are punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to three years of supervised release.
In the early morning hours of May 9, Lower Elwha Police and Clallam County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the home where a witness called 911 to report Watson had stabbed an adult woman in the neck, according to court records.
Officers found the woman standing a few feet from Watson, and she identified him as the assailant after he was removed from the room, court documents said.
Watson was booked into the Clallam County Jail on tribal charges.
The FBI joined the investigation and secured items of evidence from the scene, including a black folding knife about 3 inches long, the Justice Department said. The knife allegedly contained blood residue, the agency added.
The woman was hospitalized for five days as she recovered from her injuries, including damage to her esophagus and nerve damage, the Justice Department said. She was able to describe for investigators how Watson attacked her and allegedly threatened to kill her, the agency added.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Lower Elwha Klallam Police Department, and it’s being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Celia Lee and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ajay Ravindran.
Lee serves as a tribal liaison for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Washington.
