Navajo Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Federal Officer

ALBUQUERQUE – Larry Lee Emerson, Jr., 36, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Toadlena, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to assaulting a federal officer. 

Emerson was arrested in Aug. 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with assaulting a Navajo Nation police officer with a Special Law Enforcement Commission card on July 6, 2016, in San Juan County, N.M.  According to the complaint, Emerson assaulted the officer while the officer was attempting to arrest him.

Emerson was indicted on Aug. 23, 2016, and charged with assaulting a federal officer who was engaged in the performance of his official duties.  During today’s proceedings, Emerson pled guilty to the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement.

Emerson has been in custody since his arrest, and remains detained pending a sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.  At sentencing, Emerson faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI and the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez is prosecuting the case.