Former Northwest professional MMA fighter accused of child rape, assault in Tri-Cities
A former Northwest mixed martial arts competitor is accused of abusing his wife and raping a girl.
Jason “Tyrone” Lambert, 39, is under investigation for a pattern of assaulting his wife over the course of years that culminated in a June 22 attack, reportedly because she helped a stepdaughter open a bank account and his name wasn’t on the account.
The accusations are in addition to claims that the Benton City man sexually abused a child for years.
Both victims told investigators they waited years to report what was happening for fear he would hurt them or himself, said court documents filed in Benton County Superior Court.
They recently came forward within days of each other to report the abuse, according to the documents.
Lambert appeared briefly in court Monday after his Friday arrest on suspicion of second-degree assault, first- and second-degree child rape and harassment.
Benton County Superior Court Commissioner Megan Whitmire set his bail at $250,000.
Lambert’s five-year professional MMA career is documented on MMA news site Sherdog.com. He competed as a middleweight between 2012 and 2017.
Posters show he fought in matches in Hermiston, Pendleton and Tillamook in Oregon.
He currently works for an electrical subcontractor on a Pasco construction project, according to court documents.
Domestic assault
Investigators say Lambert’s wife called police last Thursday to report that her husband attacked her on June 22.
She described him as a jealous and insecure person who didn’t allow her to work since he was afraid other men would look at her. He also allegedly threatened to stop making house payments if she called the police, she told officials.
She said Lambert grabbed her neck, threw her to the ground, had a knee on her chest and her arm pinned. He screamed that “he was going to take her out, drain her blood and slice her apart,” court documents said. She said she struggled to breathe.
She yelled for her stepdaughter to call police, but Lambert chased the teen and grabbed the phone. He finally left after his wife threatened to shoot him if he didn’t, said court documents.
She reported four other attacks between February and June 2024 when he reportedly hit her or threw something at her. She said she didn’t call police initially because she was afraid Lambert would kill her, said the documents.
She sent police photos of her face and bruised foot, said investigators.
