ALBUQUERQUE - Mylan Skye Velarde, 30, a member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation who resides in Dulce, N.M., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to an assault charge, announced U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and Chief Sylvester Stanley of the Jicarilla Apache Tribal Police Department.
Velarde was arrested in Dec. 2015, on an indictment charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon, a bat, with intent to do bodily harm. According to the indictment, Velarde committed the crime on March 18, 2015, in Indian Country in Rio Arriba County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Velarde pled guilty to the indictment. In entering the guilty plea, Velarde admitted that on March 18, 2015, he repeatedly struck the victim in the head and upper torso with a bat, causing the victim to suffer bodily injury.
Velarde was remanded into custody after entering his guilty plea and will remain detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled. At sentencing, Velarde faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison followed by not less than three years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Jicarilla Apache Tribal Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Niki Tapia-Brito.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
