Mescalero Man Sentenced for Domestic Assault

ALBUQUERQUE – A Mescalero man was sentenced to 24 months in prison after pleading guilty in to assault of an intimate partner by strangling.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, on July 19, 2023, Ashton Louis Apachito, 20, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, assaulted his girlfriend, Jane Doe, at his mother’s house.

Following the incident, Jane Doe left the residence to stay with her mother. Over the next several days, Apachito harassed Jane Doe by phone and threatened to throw all her belongings in the road. On July 29, Jane Doe returned to the residence to collect her belongings, at which time Apachito attacked Jane Doe, pushing her to the ground, kicking her in the stomach multiple times and choking her.

The next morning, Jane Doe called her mother and asked her to pick her up. Jane Doe’s mother reported the domestic violence to BIA and Jane Doe was transported to the Lincoln County Medical Center for treatment. Jane Doe’s injuries included swelling and dark bruising on her left eye, slight bruising on her right eye, bruising on both facial cheeks, bruising on the left side of her stomach and hip, and bruising on her right triceps.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez made the announcement today.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliot Neal is prosecuting the case.

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