Zia Pueblo Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Child Abuse Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE – Dale Dominic Galvan, 40, an enrolled member of the Zia Pueblo, who resides in Englewood, Colo., was sentenced today in federal court in Santa Fe, N.M., to 23 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release for his conviction on a child abuse charge. 

Galvan was indicted on May 12, 2015, and was charged with abandonment or abuse of a child under the age of 18 on April 15, 2014, on the Santa Clara Pueblo in Rio Arriba County, N.M.

On Sept. 18, 2017, Galvan pled guilty to an information charging him with child abuse.  In entering the guilty plea, Galvan admitted that on April 15, 2014, he exposed a two-year-old child to inclement weather by leaving the child in a vehicle for at least 20 to 45 minutes on a cold night with a temperature of about 29 degrees Fahrenheit.  The child was dressed only in a t-shirt, without a diaper, socks, or pants and was found to be cold and shivering.  Galvan further admitted that his actions caused and permitted a substantial and unjustifiable risk of serious harm to the safety and health of the child. 

This case was investigated by the Northern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services, and the Santa Clara Pueblo Tribal Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback.