Member of Tulalip Tribes sentenced to 37 months in prison for head-on crash while fleeing Tribal Police

Member of Tulalip Tribes sentenced to 37 months in prison for head-on crash while fleeing Tribal Police

Member of Tulalip Tribes sentenced to 37 months in prison for head-on crash while fleeing Tribal Police

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington
14 September 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Severely injured two women in oncoming vehicle

Seattle- A 36-year-old member of the Tulalip Tribes was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 37 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for assault resulting in serious bodily injury arising from a high-speed crash, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran. HERMAN JAMES JOHN III pleaded guilty in February 2020 in connection with the July 8, 2019, high-speed crash into another vehicle on the Tulalip Reservation. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge James L. Robart noted that JOHN was no longer a young man and has a long pattern of criminal conduct. He expressed hope that JOHN would take advantage of the resources available to him and responsibility for turning his life around.

According to records filed in the case, JOHN had been excluded from the Tulalip Reservation because of criminal conduct. JOHN admits he had used methamphetamine and heroin earlier in the day. When Tulalip Tribal Police attempted to pull JOHN over, he raced away at high speed, lost control of his car, and crashed head on into another car. The two Tulalip tribal members in the other car were severely injured and continue to recover from their injuries. The investigation revealed that JOHN had been traveling 78 miles per hour in a 35-mile-per-hour zone immediately before the crash.

The case was investigated by the Tulalip Tribal Police, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Tate London.

Contact:
Press contact for the U.S. Attorney’s Office is Communications Director Emily Langlie at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@usdoj.gov.