A Towaoc man is in federal custody for allegedly assaulting two men with a baseball bat.
Benny Watts, 23, is charged with two counts of assault for allegedly attacking Steven Root and Sandoval Leonard Lopez the night of March 28 in Towaoc hospitalizing Root.
All three men are Ute Mountain Ute tribal members, landing the case in U.S. District Court.
According to a criminal complaint filed by a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Root alleged he was attacked by Watts in retaliation for testifying against his brother in court.
Root reportedly told the investigator he and Lopez were at a residence in Towaoc when Watts and a group of juveniles approached him. He said the group asked if Lopez was with him and upon reply, Watts struck Lopez with a metal baseball bat.
The boys, possibly also wielding bats, attacked the two men and beat them to the ground, Root alleged.
Root alleged Watts then said this is for my brother Nathaniel Taylor, and struck him across the mouth. Root said he testified against Taylor who is now in a federal penitentiary.
The night of the alleged incident, Lopez was reportedly transported to Southwest Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for bruising and knocked out teeth. Root went to the Shiprock Medical Center and was given a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan for a possible skull fracture.
A witness reported she saw four or five boys running toward the residence. She said although her vision was obscured by a vehicle, she heard someone say this is for Nathaniel Taylor, and heard some whacks.
Watts is set for an arraignment and discovery conference before Magistrate Judge David West in Durango at 3 p.m. April 26. He appeared before West on April 5, and West ordered him to be held by federal marshals until the April 26 hearing.
Public Defender Brian Leedy declined to comment on behalf of Watts.
Journal Denver Correspondent Joe Hanel Contributed to this report.
Reach Reid Wright at reidw@cortezjournal.com.