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Judge orders suspended sentence for man in Albuquerque Oñate statue protest
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A man arrested in 2020 in connection with a shooting at a protest near the Juan de Oñate statue in Old Town was sentenced last week to two years of supervised probation, meaning he will spend no time in jail.
Steven Ray Baca, 34, pleaded no contest in June to aggravated battery and guilty to battery and unlawful carrying of a deadly weapon. The Santa Fe man had faced a maximum sentence of three years in prison under his plea agreement.
Second Judicial District Judge Brett Loveless rejected a request by prosecutors on Wednesday to sentence Baca to one year in jail, said Nancy Laflin, a spokeswoman for the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Loveless also ordered Baca to perform 250 hours of community service and avoid contact with victims.
In June 2020, Baca attended a protest next to a Juan de Oñate statue outside the Albuquerque Museum. Members of the New Mexico Civil Guard also attended the protest armed with guns, while other demonstrators called for the statue to be taken down.
Baca shot and injured Scott Williams during a chaotic scene as protesters clashed.
Baca pleaded guilty to battery charges against Julie Harris and Vivian Norman. Both women said that Baca flung them hard to the ground during the protest.
Oñate colonized New Mexico in 1598 under a contract with the king of Spain. He is a controversial figure because of the brutality inflicted on Native American people, particularly residents of Acoma Pueblo, under his leadership.
