District Highlight - Eastern District of Washington

The Eastern District of Washington was established in 1905 when the state was separated into two districts. George H. Baker was appointed as the first U.S. Marshal for the district. Baker had a productive career in civil service, also serving his state in the House of Representatives and the Senate. 

Today, the Eastern District of Washington is led by United States Marshal Craig Ellis Thayer. He has served in the role since 2010 after retiring from his career in the Stevens County Sheriff’s Department. Thayer had been with the Sheriff’s office since 1972, serving extensively in unique positions for the state of Washington. Thayer and 31 other employees make up the Marshals Service for the Eastern District.

In 2010, the Eastern District of Washington, along with the Western District of Washington, the District of Alaska, and the District of Oregon, formed the Congressionally approved, Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Taskforce (PVNOTF). The hybrid regional fugitive task force is the first of its kind, designed to lower violent crime rates along the Pacific Northwest. It is directed by a Governance Board made up of the U.S. Marshal, and the Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal from each of the four districts. 

In 2025, the Eastern District of Washington’s United States Marshal Service (USMS) assisted in conducting Operation Rolling Thunder in collaboration with the Spokane Valley Police Department, the Pacific Northwest Regional Task Force (PVNOTF), and a number of federal and local law enforcement agencies. Over a 5-day period, 55 arrests were made, 29 of them being violent felony offenders. Formally recognized by the U.S. Congressional Record, the operation apprehended criminals for homicide, kidnapping, robbery, sexual assault, child abuse, firearm offenses, and other serious crimes. 

In 2019, Operation Invictus was a 15-week joint law enforcement fugitive directed at a rise in violent crime and gang activity across Yakima County and the Yakama reservation. The United States Marshals Service (USMS) led initiative united over a dozen federal, state, tribal, and local agencies. The operation resulted in the arrest of 246 violent fugitives, with more than half of those individuals directly tied to local gang networks. In addition to clearing outstanding warrants, officers seized 33 firearms, significant amounts of illicit narcotics, and thousands of dollars in cash.

In June of 2025, Travis Decker was wanted for the killing of his three young daughters in Chelan County. Decker had formally served in the military and possessed survival and tactical training. A broad band of agencies worked together in the manhunt for Decker, such as the U.S. Marshals, the Pacific Northwest Regional Task Force (PVNOTF), the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), U.S. Border Patrol, along with Washington law enforcement agencies. The U.S. Marshals Service obtained a federal Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution warrant and led large scale search teams in the area. Foreign agencies also assisted in the case that Decker fled the country. On September 18th of 2025, the U.S. Marshals Service Special Operations Group (SOG) and U.S. Border Patrol canine teams were lowered into the mountains leading to the discovery of Decker’s remains. The case was closed upon confirmation that the DNA of the remains matched Decker’s. 

In 2024, the United States Marshals Service (USMS) coordinated the fugitive apprehension efforts, resulting in the arrest of Charles Tatom, who was charged in connection with the 1997 murders of Marlene Emerson and her 12-year-old daughter, Cassandra Emerson, in Stevens County, Washington. The case had remained unsolved for nearly three decades and was considered one of the region’s most significant cold-case homicide investigations. At the time of the murder, current United States Marshal Craig Thayer was the Sheriff of Stevens County. As the Sheriff, he kept the cold case active and remained invested in the closure of the case.

The original investigation involved extensive evidence collection and investigative efforts by local, state, and federal authorities. The case remained unresolved for 27 years until advances in forensic technology identified Tatom as the suspect. Tatom was linked as criminal associate to outlaw motorcycle gangs involved in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking network operating throughout Eastern Washington during the 1990s.

Following the filing of murder charges, an operational plan was developed involving the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office and United States Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force. Law enforcement personnel safely apprehended Tatom at his residence without incident. Tatom is currently awaiting trial scheduled for August 2026.

On March 21, 2025, a drive-by shooting which killed a 14-year-old boy and critically injured 4 others occurred in Moses Lake, Washington. The United States Marshals Service (USMS) Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force (PVNOTF) led a rapidly advancing multi-state manhunt to apprehend those responsible. Working alongside the Moses Lake Police Department and numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, investigators were able to locate all outstanding suspects within days.

The manhunt resulted in the arrest of a juvenile suspect in Richland, Washington, followed by the apprehension of Matthew Valdez in Beaverton, Oregon, and Jose Beltran-Rodriguez in Redding, California, after a nationwide fugitive investigation that included the execution of search warrants, the issuance of a public reward, and coordinated interstate operations. All three suspects face charges including first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and drive-by shooting, and are believed to be affiliated with the Norteños transnational criminal organization. The investigation remains ongoing, with additional associates in Moses Lake facing criminal investigations and potential federal prosecution.

The Eastern District of Washington covers two-thirds of the state’s landmass with jurisdiction in 20 of its 39 counties. The district shares a border with the Western District of Washington, the District of Oregon, and the District of Idaho. The district also shares an international border with Canada, resulting in frequent collaboration with the United States Border Patrol and Customs and Border Patrol Air and Marine Operations. These partnerships support international fugitive investigations and the apprehension of fugitives attempting to evade capture across international boundaries. 

The Eastern District of Washington is home to an abundance of mountains and desert like environments, with major rivers like the Columbia and the Snake cutting through the terrain. There are four Federally recognized Indian Tribes in Eastern Washington, three of them having huge exterior boundaries. The Eastern District of Washington’s United States Marshal Service (USMS) participates with the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chief (WASPC), which is a unique association of local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies established by state legislation for the purpose of professionalism and cooperation between law enforcement.  

In 2025, the Eastern District of Washington made 496 arrests. The United States Marshal Service (USMS) regularly engages with the community through career days at local colleges, high schools, and elementary schools. They also participate in National Night out and the Special Olympics.