ALBUQUERQUE – Joe Lee Haines, 36, an enrolled member of the
Navajo Nation who resides in Tinian, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court
in Albuquerque, N.M., to a child abuse charge.
Haines’ plea agreement recommends a prison sentence of a year and a day
followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Haines was arrested on Sept. 21, 2017, on a criminal
complaint charging him with child abuse.
According to the complaint, Haines placed the barrel of a firearm into
the mouth of an 11-year-old child.
Haines subsequently was indicted on Oct. 11, 2017, and charged with
child abuse on Sept. 1, 2017, on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley
County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Haines pled guilty to the
indictment and admitted that on Sept. 1, 2017, while he was intoxicated, he
accused a child under the age of 18 years of stealing money from his
wallet. After the child fell asleep,
Haines admitted that he placed a rifle into the child’s mouth, accused the
child of taking money and threatened to pull the trigger.
A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Gallup office of the FBI
and the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback is
prosecuting the case.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment