ALBUQUERQUE - Aiela Salvador, 28, a member and resident of Acoma Pueblo, N.M., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a misdemeanor child abuse charge.
Salvador was arrested on July 18, 2013, on a criminal complaint alleging that on June 25, 2013, in Cibola County, N.M., she endangered the lives and safety of two children, a 3-year-old and 2-year-old, by passing out due to heavy intoxication and abandoning the children. The children were unkempt and neglected in a house without power or running water, and the two-year-old was found wandering outside the house. The children, who did not suffer bodily injury, were taken to the Acoma Social Services Department. Salvador was subsequently indicted on Aug. 7, 2013, and charged with committing child abuse by placing the children in a situation that may have endangered their lives or health.
During today’s proceedings, Salvador pled guilty to an information charging her with misdemeanor abandonment of a child. Salvador admitted that on June 25, 2013, she abandoned two children when she consumed alcoholic beverages to the point of passing out inside her home. Criminal proceedings of this case were delayed by Salvador’s participation in a pretrial diversion program.
At sentencing, Salvador faces a statutory maximum penalty of 12 months in prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Laguna/Acoma Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and the Acoma Pueblo Tribal Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Adams is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
