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Jicarilla Apache Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Assaulting Navajo Woman
ALBUQUERQUE, NM – In a shocking turn of events, Heather Atole, a 28-year-old member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison and two years of supervised release for her role in a violent assault on a 28-year-old Navajo woman.
The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, sustained stab wounds to her upper torso, shoulder, and back during the altercation, which took place at a residence on the Mescalero Apache Reservation on June 27, 2011.
Atole, who was initially arrested by the Mescalero Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services on tribal charges, was later arrested by the FBI on a federal criminal complaint and indicted on November 30, 2011.
Pleading guilty to both counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury, Atole admitted to stabbing the victim four times with an eight-inch kitchen knife because she perceived the victim to be a romantic rival.
Atole has been in federal custody since entering her guilty plea on September 11, 2012, and will be required to pay $49,321.07 in restitution to cover the cost of medical treatment for the victim.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Mescalero Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Heather Atole’s sentence sends a clear message that violence against others will not be tolerated in our community.
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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