A 53-year-old Jicarilla Apache Nation member has been sentenced to five years in prison for brutally attacking a tribal police officer with a pitchfork.
Lawrence Roybal, who resides in Dulce, New Mexico, was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for assaulting the tribal officer.
The incident occurred on May 11, 2015, within the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. The officer, who was commissioned as a special federal officer by the BIA, was left shaken but unharmed.
‘The law enforcement officers who risk their lives every day to keep us safe deserve the best protection we can give them,’ said Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division. ‘The FBI is proud to have worked on this case with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Jicarilla Apache Tribal Police Department.’
Roybal was arrested in May 2015 on a criminal complaint charging him with assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon. He later pleaded guilty to the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement.
The case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI and the Jicarilla Apache Tribal Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquel Ruiz-Velez.
U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez said, ‘The courageous men and women who wear the badge and help uphold our Constitution deserve our full support.’ He added, ‘We will hold accountable those who threaten our public safety by attacking and seeking to harm our nation’s peacekeepers.’
Chief Sylvester Stanley of the Jicarilla Apache Tribal Police praised the officer’s bravery, saying, ‘The officer involved in this case exhibited a keen insight to remain safe and capture a very dangerous offender without using deadly force.’
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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