Mescalero Man Charged with Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Indian Country

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Lestat Cree Valdez made an initial appearance in federal court on a criminal complaint charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon. Valdez, 20, of Mescalero, will remain in custody pending trial.

According to the criminal complaint, the victim was sleeping on the couch in a residence located on the Mescalero Apache reservation when she awoke to being stabbed in the head and chest. A witness heard the victim call for help and observed Valdez striking the victim. The witness chased Valdez from the residence before returning to provide medical assistance to the victim until EMS arrived.

Later that day, Valdez turned himself in to law enforcement. During a subsequent interview, Valdez admitted to ingesting LSD and two unknown drugs and described losing control of his body. Valdez stated that during his acid “trip,” he observed himself stabbing the victim.

An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Valdez faces 10 years in prison.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau Investigation with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant United States Attorney Eliot Neal is prosecuting the case.

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