Spokane Tribe Casino Kidnap Attempt Lands Washington Man Nearly Seven Years in Prison

A Washington state man who dragged his girlfriend by her hair across a casino parking lot and forced her into his truck as she tried to escape has been sentenced to nearly seven years in federal prison.

Joseph Parisien, of Colville, received a total of 82 months for an attempted kidnapping at Spokane Tribe Casino in Airway Heights, Wash., in April 2024.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca L. Pennell handed down the sentence on Oct. 5. The 82-month term includes 70 months for attempted kidnapping in Indian Country and an additional 12 months for violating terms of supervised release from a prior federal conviction.

He will also serve three years of supervised release after prison.

Chased Across Parking Lot

According to federal prosecutors, Parisien and his girlfriend were at the casino April 26, 2024, when she left with a friend.

Parisien was driven to the friend’s home, where he assaulted the woman in the road. He was seen knocking her to the ground and kicking her in the face, according to court documents cited by prosecutors.

The pair were then driven back to the casino. There, Parisien pulled the woman from the vehicle and dragged her by her hair to the passenger door of his own truck.

After being forced inside, she opened the door and made a run for it across the casino parking lot.

Parisien chased her, knocked her to the ground, and dragged her by her hair across a rocky median and back to the truck, according to prosecutors.

He forced her into the passenger seat a second time, continued assaulting her, and drove away.

Three-Day Search

Investigators tracked Parisien first to his Spokane residence, then to a motel in Colville, before locating his girlfriend back in Spokane on April 29.

During the three-day manhunt, authorities issued a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) alert. Police safely recovered the victim, and Parisien was taken into custody the following day.

In a May 2024 interview with local station KHQ, Parisien and his girlfriend disputed that she had been kidnapped, describing the missing-person investigation as a misunderstanding.

But the federal prosecution went ahead, culminating in Parisien’s conviction and this week’s sentencing.

FBI Seattle Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington called Parisien’s behavior “appalling,” noting that he chased the woman when she attempted to escape and evaded police for several days.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Serrano said prosecuting repeat domestic violence offenders was essential to protecting victims and preventing further abuse.

The investigation involved the FBI, Spokane Tribal Police, several other tribal and municipal police departments, and the Washington State Patrol.