Rocky Gardner, the 36-year-old man who was in a brief standoff with police Wednesday evening, has been charged with one count of intentional child abuse resulting in great bodily harm.
At around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, Las Cruces Police were called to the report of a disturbance on the 3800 block of Van Ess Court. Officers learned that the suspect in the disturbance, later identified as Gardner, was inside of his residence and refusing to exit.
Officers made several attempts at speaking with Gardner but were initially unsuccessful in encouraging him to exit. To ensure the safety of all involved LCPD’s SWAT team was called out and Gardner eventually entered the backyard where he was taken into custody. No shots were fired and no injuries were reported.
Detectives learned that Gardner and the 13-year-old son of Gardner’s girlfriend got into an argument sometime after school Wednesday. Detectives learned that the argument escalated and Gardner is suspected of striking the teenager, and then strangling the boy leaving him unconscious for a moment.
The teen’s older brother, a 17-year-old, intervened and pulled his sibling to safety. The two boys then went to a neighbor’s home where they waited for police to arrive. The 13-year-old boy’s injuries were not life-threatening.
Gardner was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center with bond set at $50,000.
Information from Las Cruces Police