Newcomb Man Charged with Assaulting Two Federal Officers, Seriously Injuring One

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 Kenneth Lee Begay appeared in federal court on an indictment charging him with two counts of assault upon a federal officer inflicting bodily injury and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Begay, 59, of Newcomb, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, will remain in custody pending a detention hearing set for Monday, October 16, 2023.

According to the indictment, on June 4, 2023, Begay assaulted John Doe and Jane Doe, both officers with the Navajo Nation Police Department who were also specially commissioned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, while the officers were attempting to arrest Begay following threats he made to tribal officials during a chapter-house meeting. The assault resulted in serious bodily injury to Jane Doe.

An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the most serious allegation, Begay faces up to 20 years imprisonment and up to three years of supervised release thereafter.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.

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