⏱ 2 min read
Barton Rico Cooeyate, a 41-year-old Zuni man, has been charged with kidnapping after allegedly tricking a woman into getting into his car by offering her a ride home in Zuni, New Mexico, on March 23, 2026. Cooeyate then drove the victim to an abandoned rural residence 15 miles away, where he sexually assaulted her. The victim managed to escape from Cooeyate’s vehicle and hid until a Zuni Pueblo Tribal Ranger conducted an unrelated DWI stop on Cooeyate.
The victim suffered injuries, including a contusion to her left forearm, as a result of the assault. Cooeyate is charged with kidnapping by inveiglement, which means he lured the woman into his car by false representations or promises, or other deceitful means.
Cooeyate will remain in La Pasada Halfway House pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charge, Cooeyate faces up to life in prison. The case was investigated by the Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, with assistance from the Zuni Fish and Wildlife and the Zuni Police Department.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.
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📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Sex Crimes
- Defendant: New Mexico
- Location: NM
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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