Dexter Dez, Assault, New Mexico 2013

A disturbing case of assault has unfolded in New Mexico, as Dexter Dez, a 28-year-old Navajo Nation member from Shiprock, pleaded guilty to federal assault charges in a recent court hearing.

Dez was arrested on July 11, 2013, following a complaint alleging he assaulted a non-Indian man on May 17, 2013, at a residence in Two Gray Hills, N.M., within the Navajo Indian Reservation.

According to court filings, Dez, who was intoxicated at the time of the incident, entered the victim's residence and punched him in the left eye with a box cutter. The victim's eyelids were severed as a result of the assault, forcing him to undergo surgery to repair his eyelids and requiring further surgery, including skin grafts.

Dez was subsequently indicted and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

He has been in federal custody since his arrest and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. At sentencing, Dez faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison.

The case was investigated by the Shiprock office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and the Farmington office of the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez.

Dexter Dez, Defendant's REAL full name, pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. City and state: Shiprock, New Mexico. EXACT DATE of crime: May 17, 2013. Sentence or outcome: Pending sentencing, faces up to 10 years in prison.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/shiprock-man-pleads-guilty-federal-assault-charges