ALBUQUERQUE – A Pena Blanca man is facing federal child abuse charges for allegedly punching and strangling a minor.
According to court documents, on April 9, 2026, Jonathan Lovato, 41, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Santo Domingo, held down and punched a minor with a closed fist several times before strangling them and causing them to pass out. Following the incident, the minor escaped the residence and went to the home of a family member, who immediately called law enforcement. Officers arrested Lovato at his residence. The minor was treated at a local hospital before being transferred to Albuquerque due to brain bleeding.
Lovato is charged with child abuse and will remain on conditions of release pending trial which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Lovato faces three years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliot Neal is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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