Teenage correctional officer on leave for sexual assault

By CNN Newsource

Published November 23, 2023 11:40 AM

By Nick Catlin

GRANTS, New Mexico (KOAT) — A Grants man faces a felony criminal sexual penetration charge for his alleged actions at Western New Mexico Correctional Facility as an employee.

The correctional officer Owen Etsitty, 19 of Grants, is on administrative leave pending dismissal, according to the New Mexico Corrections Department. Etsitty was identified as a suspect on Nov. 20, and state police were contacted.

New Mexico State Police did arrest the officer at the facility, where he had been employed since September 2022. Etsitty also faces a criminal sexual contact charge, according to court documents. Both are felony charges.

NMCD cabinet secretary Alisha Tafoya Lucero responded to the internal investigation.

“Our agency is working closely with our law enforcement partners to make sure Etsitty is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Tafoya Lucero said.

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