18-Year-Old Grant County Man Gets 5 Years in Brutal Assault Case

A Grant County man will spend 60 months in Federal prison for a trio of shocking assaults.

Man accused of assaults on Indian reservation in February, 2023

The US Attorney's Office in Spokane this week said 18-year-old  Xander Lee Ostenberg of Grand Coulee, WA, pleaded guilty to multiple charges stemming from the assault.

The specific charges were Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to a Spouse, Intimate Partner, or Dating Partner in Indian Country.  Officials said Ostenberg began fighting with his domestic partner at their residence on the Kalispell Indian Reservation in Pend Oreille County in northern WA.

When the girl's grandfather and a family friend responded to her screams, Ostenberg hit the elderly man so hard he knocked him out. He then assaulted the friend, beating him and tearing out chunks of his hair.

Ostenberg then turned his assault on the female, she sustained multiple bruises and bloody cuts. He forced her into his truck and left. The family friend was able to call law enforcement, and a short time later Ostenberg's truck was located by Pend Oreille County Sheriff's Deputies. He was pulled over and arrested.

Get our free mobile app

Ostenberg will also face three years of supervised court probation upon his release.  US Attorney's Office officials said his young age could not be used as an 'excuse' given the shocking nature of his assault.

A variety of local and Federal law enforcement agencies investigated the incident, in part because it occurred on Federal Indian reservation land.