Clyde Peterson, Sexual Abuse of a Minor or Ward, New Mexico 2018

Local Man Sentenced to 21 Months for Child Sex Abuse

Clyde Peterson, a 46-year-old Navajo man from McKinley County, New Mexico, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for his conviction on a charge of sexual abuse of a minor or ward.

Peterson, who resides in Yahtahey, N.M., was arrested on April 18, 2016, on an indictment charging him with sexual abuse of a child between the age of 12 and 16 years from June 1, 2014 through Aug. 31, 2014, on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley County, N.M.

According to court documents, Peterson engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim, who was between the age of 12 and 16 years, between June 1, 2014 and Aug. 31, 2014.

Peterson pleaded guilty to the indictment on February 22, 2018, and admitted to the abuse.

The case was investigated by the Gallup office of the FBI and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall pursuant to the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico.

The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both.

Peterson will be on supervised release for eight years after completing his prison sentence and will be required to register as a sex offender.

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