ALBUQUERQUE – Henderson Castillo, 27, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Nageezi, N.M., was sentenced Oct. 13 in federal court in Albuquerque,  to a year and a day in prison for his conviction on federal assault charges.  Castillo will be on supervised release for one year after he completes his prison sentence.

Castillo was arrested on Dec. 28, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm.  According to the complaint, on Dec. 4, 2015, on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Sandoval County, N.M., Castillo and another man attacked the victim, hitting the victim in the face, kicking his body and face, and hitting the victim in the left arm and back with an ax.  The victim sustained an open fracture to the bone between his elbow and shoulder that required two surgeries.  Castillo subsequently was indicted and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

On June 24, Castillo pled guilty to both counts of the indictment.  In entering the guilty plea, Castillo admitted that on Dec. 4, 2015, he and another man got into a verbal altercation with the victim, and Castillo began to physically assault the victim.  Castillo struck and kicked the victim several times, and then struck the victim with an ax, causing the victim to suffer an open fracture on his arm that required surgery to repair.

This case was investigated by the Crownpoint office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Mease.