An El Rito man has been charged with three felonies and a petty misdemeanor for allegedly shooting his rifle following a “heated” argument with neighbors over his cattle that escaped their pasture.
Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Deputy Hansel Felix arrested Joey Jaramillo, 62, on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a fourth-degree felony, and negligent use of a deadly weapon: intoxication.
Felix wrote that on April 10, he was sent to a house in El Rito after Daniel Ocaña called 911 to say Jaramillo allegedly shot at him and two other people. When he got there, Ocaña told him things started when he spoke to Jaramillo about his cattle being out and asked him to gather them and get them back on his property.
“Jaramillo refused and said he would do it in the morning,” Felix wrote. “During the interaction, they began a ‘heated argument.’ They began to separate, and Jaramillo went to his front porch at (address) and grabbed his rifle.”
Ocaña, his father and another man then went back to their car, Jaramillo racked his rifle and fired a round. Then Ocaña called 911, Felix wrote.
Jaramillo appeared to be drunk during the interaction, Ocaña told Felix.
At the scene, Felix found the rifle and ejected a spent casing from it. He seized the gun and the casing as evidence, he wrote.
The deputy talked to Jaramillo over the phone, who then had his girlfriend drive him back to the scene. Felix read him his Miranda rights, including his right to remain silent, he wrote.
“Jaramillo stated Daniel had approached him aggressively due to the cattle and stated he was in fear of being attacked by Daniel, Paul and (Gregorio) Garcia,” Felix wrote.
Jaramillo was slurring his speech and smelled like alcohol. He described his drunkenness while talking to Felix as a four out of 10 and at the time, he alleged his threat level by Ocaña was a two out of 10, Felix wrote.
Felix issued a summons for Jaramillo to appear in court, with a first appearance on Monday (5/5).
Past arrests for Jaramillo are mostly for drunk driving, including a conviction for DWI fifth offense in 2011. In that case, his first name appears as Kenny instead of Joey.