Navajo Man Pleads Guilty to Two Federal Assault Charges

ALBUQUERQUE—Earlier today in Albuquerque federal court, Jon Erik Tom, 27, pled guilty to a criminal information charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Tom will be sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release.

Tom, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides near Pueblo Pintado, N.M., has been in federal custody since his arrest on September 6, 2011. Tom remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that Tom pled guilty to shooting a 19-year-old Navajo man on September 3, 2011 in the vicinity of Pueblo Pintado, N.M. According to court records, the shooting occurred during an altercation between alleged gang members from the West Side Clique, including Tom, and the South Side Gang, including the victim. During the altercation, Tom shot the victim once in the upper left leg. The bullet entered the victim’s upper left inner groin area and exited the left hip area, causing fragments to be deposited in the wound track.

In entering his guilty plea, Tom admitted assaulting the victim on September 3, 2011 by shooting him in the hip with a bolt action .22 caliber rifle. Tom also admitted that the assault took place in San Juan County, N.M., within the Navajo Indian Reservation.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark T. Baker.