ALBUQUERQUE – A federal judge handed down a three-year probation sentence to Bruce Piaso, 37, for his conviction on a misdemeanor assault charge.
Piaso, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation from To’hajiilee, N.M., was arrested on June 3, 2016, after attacking a tribal officer of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety.
The officer, a federally commissioned BIA officer, was punched and kicked by Piaso while attempting to avoid arrest on May 28, 2016, on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Cibola County, N.M.
Piaso attempted to take control of the officer’s weapon during the altercation, but the officer managed to subdue him and take him into tribal custody.
Piaso was later charged with assault on a federal officer resulting in bodily injury and assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, but a federal jury found him guilty of the lesser included offense of simple assault, a misdemeanor, after a three-day trial.
The Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Crownpoint office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety investigated the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall prosecuting the charges.
Piaso was indicted on June 30, 2016, and remained in tribal custody until he was arrested on the federal charge on June 3, 2016.
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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