ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A Silver City man has been charged with threatening a U.S. Forest Service officer following a sentencing hearing at a federal courthouse.
According to court documents, on June 11, 2026, Fred Andrew Berry, 55, appeared in federal court in Las Cruces, New Mexico, for a sentencing hearing on matters related to prior violations occurring on U.S. Forest Service land.
Following the hearing, a U.S. Forest Service officer, who was attending court in an official capacity and wearing a badge of office, approached Berry to issue two additional citations for maintaining a campfire during fire restrictions and failing to properly dispose of garbage.
After receiving the citations, Berry allegedly became confrontational and threatened the officer. Court documents allege that Berry leaned toward the officer and stated, “just know that if I see you in the streets,” before pointing at the officer and saying, “you’re a dead terrorist bitch.”
The officer observed Berry clenching his teeth and tensing his body, causing the officer to fear an imminent physical attack and take a defensive position. Witnesses, including a Bureau of Land Management ranger and a courtroom security officer, observed the confrontation.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the U.S. Forest Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Aguirre-Rivera is prosecuting the case.
Berry is charged with making threats to a federal law enforcement officer. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Berry faces up to two years in prison.
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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