Pueblo Pintado Man Sentenced to Seven Years for Federal Assault Conviction
| U.S. Attorney’s Office April 05, 2012 |
ALBUQUERQUE—This morning in federal court, Jon Erik Tom, 27, a member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Pueblo Pintado, New Mexico, was sentenced to a seven-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for his assault conviction. Tom also was ordered to pay $35,082.14 in restitution to cover the medical costs for the victim of his assault.
According to court records, Tom was arrested on September 6, 2011 on a criminal complaint alleging that he assaulted another Navajo man on September 3, 2011 by shooting the victim in the upper left leg during a gang-related confrontation. The assault occurred in the vicinity of Pueblo Pintado, which is located in the Navajo Indian Reservation.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said on December 2, 2011, Tom entered a guilty plea to a two-count criminal information charging him with (1) assault with a dangerous weapon and (2) assault resulting in serious bodily harm. In his plea agreement, Tom admitted shooting a 19-year-old Navajo man in the left hip with a bolt action .22 caliber rifle with the intention of causing bodily harm to his victim.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Crownpoint Division of the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark T. Baker.