Grants man charged in assault with beer bottle

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — An argument over a woman and who she spends time with resulted in a fight where a 19-year-old Grants man was arrested about 12:15 a.m. on New Year's Day.

Raymond Gonzales, of 524 Valencia, was arrested in connection with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon following an incident where he struck another male over the head with a 40-ounce beer bottle, said Grants Police Detective Sgt. James Spidle.

“A beer bottle is a dangerous weapon because it can break and cause cuts and if full, can cause major damage to the head,” Spidle said.

Grants Police Officer Kevin Dobbs responded to a call of a fight at 419 San Jose Drive.

Dobbs interviewed two men and a woman who all told him a third man began arguing with the woman grabbing her by the arm. At that point, one of the men intervened to help the women and was then hit by the first man, court records state.

During this argument, Gonzales went up to the man trying to help the woman and struck him in the head with the beer bottle, court records state.

The argument was over the relationship the woman had with one man and the amount of time she was spending with another man, according to court records.

Gonzales was booked into Cibola County Detention Center on a $2,000 bond by Cibola County Presiding Judge Jackie Fisher.

A preliminary hearing has not yet been set in the case. One will be set within 60 days. As a condition for Gonzales to be released from the detention center, he is ordered to attend an anger management class as soon as possible and not to consume or possess alcohol or to enter any establishment where alcohol is served or sold.

If he is prosecuted and convicted of the third degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge, he faces up to 18 months in state prison, a $5,000 fine, or both.

The victim of the assault was transported to Cibola General Hospital and treated for head trauma, then released, court records state.

— To contact reporter Jim Tiffin call (505) 287-2197 or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.