Alleged Spokane Valley Rapist Arrested in Alabama After One Year on the Run

Spokane, WA - A Washington state fugitive who spent more than one year on the run is behind bars after the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and the Spokane Valley Police Department tracked him down in Alabama on Wednesday.

Robert Depasquale faced an active felony warrant from Spokane County, Washington. His charges include second-degree assault and third-degree rape. Investigators noted that both charges carry a domestic violence nexus.

According to authorities, Depasquale initially appeared before a Spokane Superior Court judge in May 2025. Following that court date, he fled Washington state.

The USMS Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force later developed intelligence indicating Depasquale’s location in Alabama and coordinated his arrest with the USMS Gulf Coast Regional Task Force in Alabama.

Task force members arrested Depasquale without incident. He is currently booked into the Chambers County Jail in Lafayette, Alabama, where he awaits extradition back to Washington.

U.S. Marshal Craig Thayer appreciates the collaborative work of the many law enforcement officers who worked on this investigation. U.S. Marshal Thayer stated, “the dedication and perseverance of our task force and partners paid off in bringing justice to the victim of Depasquale’s alleged assaults." 

The year-long manhunt involved collaboration across multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, the Spokane Valley Police Department, the Lanett Police Department (Alabama), the U.S. Marshals Service Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, and the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force.

The Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force is a U.S. Marshals-led partnership comprising federal, state, and local law enforcement officers from Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. The task force’s primary mission is to locate, arrest and return to the justice system the most violent and egregious federal and state fugitives.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102, or USMS Tips.