Ojo Encino Man Arrested on Federal Assault Charges
| U.S. Attorney’s Office October 30, 2012 |
ALBUQUERQUE—This morning, a U.S. magistrate judge in Albuquerque found that there was probable cause to support a criminal complaint charging Permanuel Castillo, 22, with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
Castillo, a member of the Navajo Nation who resides in the vicinity of Ojo Encino, New Mexico, was ordered detained pending trial after finding that he poses a risk of flight and a danger to the community.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that the federal charges against Castillo arise out of a September 27, 2012, incident during which Castillo allegedly shot his girlfriend, also a member of the Navajo Nation, in the chest with a rifle.
According to the criminal complaint, the alleged assault occurred in the couple’s residence, which is located on the Navajo Indian Reservation.
Castillo was arrested on a tribal aggravated assault charge on September 27, 2012, and was in tribal custody until October 26, 2012, when he was arrested on the federal assault charges.
If convicted, Castillo faces a maximum penalty of 10 years of imprisonment on each of the two assault charges.
The case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI, the New Mexico State Police, and the Crownpoint Division of the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Novaline D. Wilson.