Pine Hill Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Assault Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE – Joseph Paddock, 21, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Pine Hill, N.M., was sentenced this morning to a year in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.

Paddock was arrested on April 28, 2014, on a criminal complaint charging him with assault, and subsequently was charged in an indictment with assault with a dangerous weapon.  According to court filings, Paddock assaulted the victim, a security guard employed by the Ramah Navajo School Board, by cutting him with a knife on April 18, 2014, at a location within the Navajo Indian Reservation. 

On Aug. 27, 2014, Paddock entered a guilty plea to the indictment and admitted that on April 18, 2014, he assaulted the victim with a knife with the intent of causing bodily harm.  Paddock acknowledged that as a result of the assault, the victim sustained injuries that required multiple stitches.

This case was investigated by the Ramah Navajo Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob A. Wishard.