Cibola grand jury indicts two

By Mike Marino
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — Two persons were indicted this week by the grand jury in Cibola County. The following indictments were handed down on March 14 and filed in the 13th Judicial District clerk's office:

Lonnie Garcia was indicted on multiple felony and misdemeanor counts including kidnapping. Garcia was charged with the kidnapping of a female victim and holding her against her will on June 2, 2006. The kidnapping charge is a first-degree felony.

He is also charged in the indictment with a count of criminal sexual penetration by engaging the victim in sexual intercourse and other sexual acts by use of force, a third-degree felony. Garcia is also charged with the intimidation of a witness, a third-degree felony, in an event that occurred on or about June 2, 2006, where it is alleged that he did intimidate or threaten a witness in an attempt to get the person to falsely testify or to abstain from testifying in the case. There is also another charge of intimidation of the same witness in another event that occurred sometime between June 3 and Aug. 21, 2006.

The indictment also includes a count of harassment that happened between June 3 and Aug. 21, 2006, a misdemeanor offense, as well as a count of aggravated battery, a misdemeanor offense, against the same person he is charged with kidnapping and sexual penetration.

In another grand jury indictment, Ryan Thompson was charged with a count of child abuse, intentional with no death or great bodily harm, where it is alleged Thompson punched a child in the face. The child abuse charge is a third-degree felony. Thompson also has a second count lodged against him where he is charged with battery against a household member, a misdemeanor offense. Both incidents mentioned in the indictment occurred on or about Sept. 29, 2006.