Mescalero man pleads guilty to assaulting federal officer
A Mescalero man has pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer, admitting he struck a Bureau of Indian Affairs officer during an arrest on the reservation.
Case investigated by FBI’s Las Cruces Resident Agency after confrontation on reservation
Organ Mountain News report
ALBUQUERQUE - A Mescalero man has pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer after striking a Bureau of Indian Affairs officer multiple times during an arrest on the Mescalero Apache Reservation.
Dominic James Isaac Sandoval Peralta, 24, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, admitted to assaulting and forcibly resisting a Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services officer who was responding to a call at a residence on May 29, 2025, according to court documents.
When the uniformed officer attempted to take him into custody, Peralta advanced on the officer and initiated a physical confrontation, striking him multiple times in the head and causing injuries.
The officer deployed a Taser to subdue Peralta and place him under arrest. Even after officers handcuffed him, Peralta continued to resist by refusing commands to enter a patrol vehicle.
Peralta pleaded guilty to assault on a federal officer involving physical contact and faces up to eight years in prison.
The FBI’s Las Cruces Resident Agency investigated the case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Dickens is prosecuting the case.
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