Mescalero Man Charged with Domestic Assault

ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced that Theodore Ian Chavez, IV appeared in federal court on an indictment charging him with assault of an intimate partner by strangling and assault of an intimate partner resulting in substantial bodily injury. Chavez, 25, of Dulce, and an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, will remain on conditions of release pending trial.

According to the indictment, on Aug. 6, 2023, Chavez assaulted Jane Doe, his intimate partner, by strangling her and the assault resulted in substantial bodily injury to Jane Doe.

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

The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joni Stahl is prosecuting the case.

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