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Elroy Duffy, 51, a member and resident of the Mescalero Apache Nation, appeared Tuesday before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Las Cruces who ordered him held pending trial on a charge of sexual assault, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
According to the criminal complaint, Duffy allegedly assaulted a Mescalero Apache woman on Oct. 14, 2012, in a residence on the Mescalero reservation.
The woman required medical care for injuries she received as a result of the assault, federal prosecutors said.
Duffy, who was in tribal custody from Oct. 18, 2012 until his arrest on federal charges, could get up to life in prison if convicted, according to the release.
Duffy entered a not guilty plea to the complaint on Monday.
