Las Cruces man charged with child abuse involving 8-year-old; detention hearing set Monday
A Las Cruces man is charged with child abuse after allegedly striking an 8-year-old and slamming him into a door. A detention hearing is set Monday.
Prosecutors allege Stephen Ray Guillen struck child multiple times and slammed him against a door
Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News
LAS CRUCES - A Doña Ana County man is facing a felony charge after authorities say he struck an 8-year-old child multiple times and slammed him against a metal door, leaving visible injuries.
Stephen Ray Guillen, 35, is charged with child abuse not resulting in death or great bodily harm, a third-degree felony, in connection with an incident reported March 29 at a home on Antares Street.
According to a criminal complaint, Guillen is accused of striking the child in the face several times, leaving finger marks, and later grabbing the child by both arms and slamming him against a metal front door.
The child’s injuries were still visible when they were documented two days later, including marks on the face and bruising on the back, according to the complaint.
The incident was reported by a staff member of Sunrise Elementary School, who notified authorities.
Investigators say the child’s mother witnessed portions of the incident and attempted to intervene. She later provided photos and video documenting the child’s injuries.
In a petition seeking pretrial detention, prosecutors argue that no release conditions would reasonably protect the child or the community, citing the nature of the alleged abuse and the child’s vulnerability.
The state also references a prior case from 2018 in which Guillen was charged with criminal sexual penetration of a minor. That case was dismissed, but it is included in the detention petition as part of the state’s argument.
A pretrial detention hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday, April 6, in the Third Judicial District Court in Las Cruces. The case is assigned to District Judge Conrad F. Perea.
Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.
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