Anthony Joe, Assault, New Mexico 2023

A 37-year-old man from Tohatchi, New Mexico, has been charged with assaulting his dating partner in a violent attack that left her seriously injured.

Anthony Joe, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, allegedly assaulted his girlfriend on August 13, 2023, at his residence. The victim, who has been identified as Joe’s dating partner, was attempting to leave the residence to stay with her mother when Joe allegedly violently assaulted her.

According to a criminal complaint, Joe punched the victim in the back of her head and in her side while she was holding their six-month-old child. He also allegedly kicked her in the back and pulled her away from the door by her hair. During the assault, Joe allegedly used his arm to choke the victim from behind, then knocked her down and used his hands to choke her.

The victim eventually escaped from the residence without her child and ran to a nearby gas station, where she called law enforcement.

A complaint is only an allegation, and Joe is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison for each charge.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Brittany DuChaussee is prosecuting the case.

Joe appeared in federal court on September 20, 2023, for a preliminary and detention hearing and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.