Crownpoint Man Pleads Guilty to Strangulation and Taser Assault on Tribal Officer Following Violent Domestic Incident

A Crownpoint man has entered a guilty plea in federal court after a violent domestic assault escalated into a direct attack on a Navajo Nation police officer, involving the use of the officer’s own taser as a weapon during an attempted arrest.

Jason K. Thompson, 40, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, admitted to assault by strangulation and assault with a deadly weapon stemming from a March 18, 2025 incident that began as a domestic violence call and rapidly escalated into a confrontation with responding law enforcement.

According to court records, Thompson attempted to strangle a woman identified as Jane Doe. The nature of the assault meets the federal threshold for strangulation, which involves applying pressure to the neck sufficient to restrict breathing or blood circulation, a form of violence recognized for its high lethality risk and strong correlation with escalating domestic abuse patterns.

Responding officers from the Navajo Nation Police Department moved to take Thompson into custody. During the arrest attempt, Thompson resisted and engaged in a physical struggle with an officer. In the course of that struggle, he seized control of the officer’s department-issued taser and discharged it against the officer with the intent to cause injury. The use of a conducted electrical weapon in this manner constitutes assault with a deadly weapon under federal law due to its capacity to incapacitate and inflict harm.

Thompson was ultimately subdued, handcuffed, and placed into a patrol unit. The incident did not end there. While in custody, he escalated again by kicking out a window of the police vehicle and fleeing the scene, creating a secondary pursuit scenario. Navajo Nation officers conducted a rapid search and successfully recaptured Thompson later that same night.

The sequence of events reflects multiple layers of violent conduct: domestic strangulation, armed assault on a law enforcement officer using a seized weapon, and post-arrest escape. Each phase increased the risk profile of the encounter and expanded the scope of criminal exposure under federal jurisdiction.

Thompson now faces a potential sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison. Sentencing will be determined based on the severity of the offenses, the assault on a law enforcement officer, and the escape following lawful detention.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Gallup Resident Agency under the Albuquerque Field Office, working in coordination with the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Federal prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco.

The incident reflects a rapid escalation from domestic violence to direct assault on law enforcement, followed by an attempted escape after custody was established. The sequence of actions—strangulation, weapon seizure, and flight—elevates the severity of the case and defines the federal exposure now facing the defendant.

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