Kewa Pueblo Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Assault Charge

ALBUQUERQUE – Camille Lovato, 19, a member and resident of Kewa Pueblo, entered a guilty plea yesterday in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to an assault charge.  The guilty plea was entered without the benefit of a plea agreement.

Lovato was arrested on Jan. 13, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging her with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.  According to the criminal complaint, Lovato stabbed a Kewa Pueblo man in the chest with a knife on Jan. 9, 2016.  The victim sustained a collapsed lung as a result of the assault, which took place at a residence in Kewa Pueblo.

On April 12, 2016, Lovato was indicted on assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury charges.  During yesterday’s change of plea hearing, she entered a guilty plea to both offenses.

At sentencing, Lovato faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in prison.  She will remain in federal custody pending her sentencing hearing, which has not been scheduled.

The case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Southern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez.