Pair accused of attack at home near Ojo Caliente

A Rio Arriba County man and Taos County woman are facing charges following an alleged attack Wednesday at a home in Petaca, a small community north of Ojo Caliente.

Neither Morris Lovato, 50, of Petaca, nor Jean Fairchild, 57, of Ranchos de Taos had been arrested as of Monday evening.

Lovato is charged with two counts each of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault, and one count of aggravated burglary. Fairchild is facing two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and one count each of aggravated burglary and interference with communications.

According to arrest warrant affidavits filed Monday in Rio Arriba County Magistrate Court, a New Mexico State Police officer responding to a call about an assault at the home found a man with his upper forearm duct-taped to his bicep and dried blood on his body.

The man told the officer Lovato and Fairchild had broken into the home the night before and pointed a gun at the residents while they were in bed. The man attempted to wrestle the gun away from Lovato, who fired a round into the ceiling.

As the two struggled with the firearm, the affidavits said, Fairchild struck the man on the back of the head multiple times with what was believed to be a hammer.

As the man was losing consciousness, Lovato pulled a razor blade from his pocket and cut up the man’s arm, the affidavits said.

Fairchild stole cellphones from the man and one of the women to prevent them from reporting the incident to police, according to the affidavits.

The man told police Lovato had threatened to kill him if he did not comply with an agreement they had about starting a potential business.

The second woman was injured as Lovato and Fairchild were driving away from the home, the affidavits said. They hit her with a trailer attached to their vehicle, leaving her with bruises on her legs and shins, the affidavits said.