Charles Pete Eyle, Sexually Assaulting Child, Washington 2014

A Wapato man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a child, prosecutors announced.

Charles Pete Eyle, 52, of the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation, was sentenced to life in prison for the crime, which occurred on July 3, 2014, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington.

Eyle was convicted of two counts of Attempted Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor and one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor. He was also convicted of being a previously convicted felon in possession of ammunition.

The crime was reported to law enforcement on July 3, 2014, and a family member transported the young child to the hospital where a sexual assault examination was completed. Evidence obtained from the examination was subsequently sent to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, where Eyle’s DNA was recovered.

The Yakama Nation Police Department and the FBI investigated the matter, discovering Eyle’s two prior convictions, which had involved sexual acts with children. The officers applied for and obtained a court-authorized warrant to search Eyle’s residence, where they found a box of ammunition.

A jury found Eyle guilty of the sexual abuse charges in a three-day trial on June 3, 2015. In a separate trial, on November 23, 2015, a jury found him guilty of being a previously convicted felon in possession of ammunition.

U.S. Attorney Michael C. Ormsby commended the Yakama Nation Police Department, the Wapato Police Department, the FBI, and the ATF for their thorough investigation and partnership. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement are committed to protecting children in the Eastern District of Washington.

The case was prosecuted by Tom Hanlon, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. The investigation was completed by the Yakama Nation Tribal Police Department, the FBI, the Wapato Police Department, and the ATF.

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