Las Cruces man accused of putting neighbor in chokehold for up to 20 minutes
Las Cruces police say Jesus Sanchez-Romero placed a neighbor in a chokehold for up to 20 minutes during a fight on Weaver Trail, leading to an aggravated battery charge.
Police say the suspect intervened in a neighborhood fight but held the victim long enough to cause visible injuries.
Organ Mountain News report
LAS CRUCES - A Las Cruces man faces a third-degree felony charge after police say he placed a neighbor in a chokehold for as long as 20 minutes during a pre-dawn fight outside a home on Weaver Trail early Sunday.
According to court filings, Jesus Sanchez-Romero, 43, was arrested Oct. 19 and charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, a third-degree felony.
Detectives said officers arrived at about 3:58 a.m. and found Sanchez-Romero restraining Lewis Delgado, who had visible redness and petechiae on his neck and chest and a raspy voice indicating restricted breathing.
Investigators wrote that Sanchez-Romero, a neighbor, told officers he saw Delgado assault a woman and intervened to separate them. He said he was holding Delgado until police arrived but officers determined the prolonged chokehold could have caused serious injury. Delgado has not been arrested or charged with a crime.
A pretrial assessment found Sanchez-Romero has no prior convictions and recommended release on his own recognizance.
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