Friday, August 10, 2018

Navajo Man from Albuquerque Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanor Assault Charge


ALBUQUERQUE – Jason Jonas Lee, 34, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty this morning in federal court to a misdemeanor assault charge.

Lee was arrested on Jan. 11, 2018, on a four-count indictment charging him with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon with the intention of doing bodily harm, and two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.  The indictment alleged that Lee committed the crimes against two victims, one with a baton and the other with a crowbar.  According to the indictment, Lee committed the crimes on April 14, 2017, on the Navajo Indian Reservation in San Juan County, N.M.

During today’s proceedings, Lee pled guilty to a misdemeanor information charging him with assault by striking, beating and wounding.  In entering the guilty plea, Lee admitted that on April 14, 2017, he entered the residence of one of the victims and assaulted the victim with a baton.  After leaving the residence, he struck the other victim with the baton.  Lee acknowledged that both victims sustained injuries as a result of his actions, and one of the victims required orthopedic surgery to repair a broken arm sustained as the result of Lee’s assault.

At sentencing, Lee faces a maximum statutory penalty of a year of imprisonment.  A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI and the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquel Ruiz-Velez is prosecuting the case.

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