Laguna Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Assault Charge Arising out of Drive-By Shooting at Acoma Pueblo Home

ALBUQUERQUE – Preston Chino, 21, a member and resident of Laguna Pueblo, pleaded this morning to a federal assault charge.  Under the terms of his plea agreement, Chino will be sentenced to 96 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.

Chino was one of four members of Laguna Pueblo charged with assault and firearms offenses arising out of a drive-by shooting at an Acoma Pueblo home.  Chino and his co-defendants, Cameron Joseph Kasero, 21, Joseph Edward Lucero, 24, and Andrea Carrillo, 22, were indicted in July 2013, for allegedly assaulting two men and a woman on Dec. 9, 2012, by discharging firearms at a residence located in Acoma Pueblo in Cibola County, N.M.

This morning, Chino admitted aiding and abetting Kasero and Lucero in assaulting the three victims by providing shotguns and ammunition to Kasero and Lucero.  Chino also admitted driving Kasero and Lucero to the victims’ Acoma Pueblo home where they discharged the shotguns multiple times in the direction of the residence.

Chino is in federal custody and will remain detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

Co-defendants Kasero, Lucero and Carrillo have entered not guilty pleas to the charges in the indictment.  Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI, the Laguna Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services, the Acoma Pueblo Tribal Police and the Pueblo of Laguna Tribal Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback is prosecuting the case.