Mescalero man charged with assault on federal officer

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced that Jeremy Daniel Dennis made an initial appearance in federal court on March 14 on a criminal complaint charging him with assault on a federal officer. Dennis, 43, of Mescalero, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.

According to the criminal complaint, on Dec. 25, 2022, Dennis allegedly assaulted a BIA Officer conducting a welfare check on him by punching and kicking the officer and attempting to strangle them by pressing the officer’s bulletproof vest into their throat. The incident occurred in Otero County, New Mexico, within the bounds of the Mescalero Apache Tribe.

A complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Dennis faces up to 8 years in prison.

The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant United States Attorney Eliot Neal is prosecuting the case.

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