Lummi Nation Man Re-Sentenced To 30 Years For Sexual Abuse Of Child

SEATTLE, WA —A Lummi Nation man was re-sentenced to 30 years in prison Friday for aggravated sexual abuse of a 6-year-old child that took place in 2013, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington announced.

Lewis Dean Armstrong, 57, was sentenced to the mandatory minimum sentence for the offense by U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones, who also imposed a lifetime term of supervised release following prison. Armstrong also will be required to register as a sex offender.

According to court records, in March 2014, Armstrong was convicted of aggravated sexual abuse of a 6-year-old child. The assault took place in March 2013 at a home on the Lummi reservation. DNA evidence linked Armstrong to the assault.

In June 2014, U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour sentenced Armstrong to 20 years in prison, court records show. However, the judge ruled that the 30-year mandatory minimum sentence was unconstitutional as applied to Armstrong.

In March 2020, Armstrong's conviction was upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which reversed the 20-year-sentence and sent the case back for resentencing, according to the court.

The case was investigated by the FBI and Lummi Nation Police Department, authorities said.