A Jemez Pueblo man is accused of hitting a woman several times outside of a Rio Rancho supermarket over the weekend.
Bernadino Waquie, 36, did not make a plea at Monday’s initial appearance, but he could spend a few years in prison if he is convicted of aggravated battery against a household member — strangulation or suffocation — a third-degree felony.
At about 12:45 p.m. Saturday, the Rio Rancho Police Department responded to a call of a man beating up a woman outside Albertsons in Enchanted Hills.
When officers arrived, they saw a woman lying on the ground with a bloodied nose and cut to the left side of her temple. She was disoriented and said she was drunk, according to a criminal complaint.
The woman also told the officers that she and Waquie were standing outside pushing each other near a white truck on the south side of the building. However, she was unable to recall what happened after that.
Video surveillance from Albertsons reportedly showed them throwing trash at the building when Waquie allegedly went behind the victim and put her in a headlock. When he let her go, the victim began throwing punches toward his stomach. He pushed her away before she landed a punch in the face.
The suspect then allegedly grabbed her from behind, covered her mouth and nose with his hand then put her on the ground, the complaint states.
At that point, a nearby vehicle blocked the view of the victim. However, the video showed him making downward punching motions. Waquie also appeared to be kicking the woman.
After he headed toward the store, she got up and as she walked away he allegedly came up from behind her and hit her on the right side of the face with an unknown object. She fell back to the ground and out of the camera’s view, according to the complaint.
The report does not state how Waquie and the victim are related.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for 8:30 a.m. May 20.
If convicted, he could face up to 3 years in prison and pay a $5,000 fine.
