SHIPROCK WOMAN CHARGED IN ALLEGED METAL-PIPE ASSAULT THAT LEFT VICTIM WITH SERIOUS HEAD INJURIES

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A Shiprock woman has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury following an altercation in which she allegedly struck another woman repeatedly with a metal pipe.

Desirae Smith, 26, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, is accused of attacking the victim during an altercation at a residence on July 28, 2026.

According to court documents, law enforcement responded after the victim was transported to a hospital with serious injuries to her head. Witnesses reported that an argument occurred among several individuals who had been consuming alcohol before the confrontation became violent.

Investigators allege that Smith struck the victim multiple times with a metal pipe, including blows directed at the victim’s head and arm. Smith is also accused of attempting to drop a rock onto the victim’s head after the woman had fallen to the ground and of slamming the victim’s head against a truck.

One witness told investigators that he saw the victim bleeding from a large wound on her head after hearing another individual ask Smith why she was hitting the woman with a pole.

Responding officers recovered a metal pipe from the scene that appeared to have blood on it.

Medical records showed that the victim suffered two large lacerations on the top of her head. The wounds required approximately nine staples.

During a post-arrest interview, Smith denied striking the victim with a pipe. She told investigators that the victim sustained her injuries after falling and hitting a truck during the altercation.

Smith has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. She will remain subject to conditions of release while awaiting trial. A trial date has not been scheduled.

If convicted, Smith faces up to ten years in federal prison.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and FBI Albuquerque Field Office Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris announced the charges.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jesse Pecoraro is prosecuting the case.

The charges against Smith were filed through a criminal complaint, which represents the allegations presented by the government at this stage of the proceedings. The allegations have not been proven at trial, and Smith is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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