Crownpoint Man Faces Federal Charges for Assaulting Tribal Police Officer

ALBUQUERQUE – A Crownpoint man is facing charges in federal court for allegedly assaulting a Navajo Police Department officer and escaping twice before being recaptured.

According to court documents, on March 18, 2025, two Navajo Police Department officers were dispatched to a domestic violence call. When the officers arrived on the scene, Jason Thompson, 39, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was already in handcuffs but he managed to escape and run away from the officers while still handcuffed.

During the ensuing struggle to regain control, one officer deployed a department-issued taser on Thompson. Thompson then grabbed the taser and fired it at the officer, striking him in the chest. After Thompson was recaptured and placed in an NPD unit, he escaped again by removing the rear window bars and kicking out the window.

Thompson was apprehended later that night by the NPD.

Thompson is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been set. If convicted of the current charges, Thompson faces up to 10 years in prison.

Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.