LAGUNA PUEBLO – Laguna Man Bret Anthony Vallo was arraigned April 18 on the charges of kidnapping, assault of an intimate partner, and assault with a dangerous weapon. Vallo is a 31year-old, enrolled member of Laguna Pueblo. He will remain on conditions of release pending trial which has not been scheduled.
According to an indictment which was handed down by a federal grand jury on June 15, on May 30, 2019, Vallo assaulted and strangled his intimate partner, identified in court records as Jane Doe, attempting to suffocate her. Later, on July 1 and 15 of that year, Vallo assaulted Doe with a metal bar, intending to cause harm. The indictment alleges that Vallo allegedly kidnapped Doe on June 15, 2022, by unlawfully confining her.
If convicted, Vallo faces 151 months – 12 and a half years – in federal prison. An indictment is an allegation, all people are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case with assistance from the Pueblo of Acoma Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Robert James Booth II is prosecuting this case.