La Jara Man Charged with Sexual Abuse

ALBUQUERQUE – A La Jara man is facing federal charges following allegations that he engaged in sexual acts with two minors using force.

Ronald Mescal, a.k.a. “Ron Charlie,” 61, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, appeared in federal court today for arraignment on an indictment charging him with three counts of aggravated sexual abuse. Mescal will remain on conditions of release in the third-party custody of a halfway house pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled.

The indictment alleges that between July 1992 and August 1996, Mescal engaged in sexual acts with a victim under the age of 18 years by using force. Then, between September 2009 and September 2016, Mescal engaged in sexual acts with a victim who was under the age of 12 years.

If convicted, Mescal faces up to life in prison.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant United States Attorney Robert James Booth II is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

# # #