A Newcomb man faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this week to two charges, including assault on a federal officer in connection with a 2023 incident.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, Kenneth Lee Begay, 59, a member of the Navajo Nation, pleaded guilty in federal court on Feb. 13 to one count of assault upon a federal officer inflicting bodily injury and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

The charges stem from a June 4, 2023, incident at the Newcomb Chapter house when Begay interrupted a meeting with verbal threats, according to a news release. When Navajo Nation Police officers later went to Begay’s home to arrest him, he resisted, striking both officers, the release states.

One of the officers, a woman who is a commissioned officer for the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, sustained cuts, abrasions and a shoulder injury, with which she is still contending, during the altercation.

Begay was released from custody until his sentencing hearing, which has not been scheduled. The release states he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and face three years of probation. Begay also has agreed to make restitution in the case as part of his plea agreement.

The case was investigated by the Farmington resident agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque field office with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and the Department of Criminal Investigations.

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This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Kenneth Lee Begay of Newcomb pleads guilty to 2023 assault charges