A Zuni man has been charged with assault after he reportedly stabbed a man in the throat.
According to the criminal complaint, on Feb. 4, Joey Luarkie, 23, was at a woman’s home when her boyfriend knocked on the door. The couple went outside and argued for a short time before the man came back inside to get his stuff.
Luarkie, a member of the Zuni Pueblo, followed the couple into the woman’s bedroom, where a physical altercation allegedly ensued, and the boyfriend was stabbed in the throat.
The victim left the house and collapsed in the front yard, where responding officers from the Zuni Police Department found the woman performing CPR on him. The victim was transported to Zuni Health Center before being life-flighted to the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque where he underwent two emergency surgeries.
Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced on Feb. 6 that Luarkie appeared in federal court on a criminal complaint charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury in Indian County. Luarkie remained in temporary custody until a detention hearing which was scheduled for Feb. 8.
A criminal complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the current charge, Luarkie faces up to 10 years in prison per count.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Zuni Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Marshall is prosecuting the case.
Staff Reports
