Man charged with assault for Sundance stabbing

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 that Larry Gene Charley made an initial appearance on Oct. 28 in federal court on a criminal complaint charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury in Indian Country. Charley, 60, of Sundance, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, will remain in custody pending a preliminary and detention hearing scheduled for November 1, 2022.

According to the complaint, Charley allegedly arrived at the victim’s home on Roadrunner Road in Sundance early on Oct. 21. Charley allegedly knocked at the door and entered, then walked to a bedroom where he found the victim lying in bed. Charley allegedly stabbed the victim in the chest before two other residents in the home heard the scuffle and forced Charley from the house.

During the struggle, the victim grabbed the knife, which caused cuts to his hands. The victim also suffered a collapsed lung as a result of the stabbing. The victim was transported to Gallup Indian Medical Center for care.

The incident occurred on the Navajo Nation, and the victim is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation.

A complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Charley faces up to 10 years in prison.

The Navajo Department of Criminal Investigation and the Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Bell is prosecuting the case.

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