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Press Release

Mescalero woman charged with assault in Indian Country

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico

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 Lucinda Ann “Pug” Yuzos was charged by criminal complaint with assault of a spouse or intimate partner resulting in substantial bodily injury in Indian Country. Yuzos, 48, of Mescalero, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, made an initial appearance in federal court today and will remain in custody pending a preliminary and detention hearing scheduled for July 27, 2022.

According to the complaint, on May 31, Yuzos allegedly assaulted her intimate partner at a residence on the Mescalero Apace Reservation. After confronting the victim, who is also an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, Yuzos allegedly struck him across the head with a blunt object. The victim sustained a gash across his temple and forehead and was flown by medivac to University Hospital in El Paso, Texas, for emergency treatment.

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

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

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Updated July 22, 2022

Topics
Violent Crime
Indian Country Law and Justice
Press Release Number: 22-168