Fruitland man charged in child abuse, abandonment case from 2022

A Fruitland man faces federal child abuse and abandonment charges stemming from an incident last year.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico has announced that Logan Nelson, 20, has been charged with three counts of abandonment and abuse of a child resulting in great bodily harm. Nelson, who is a member of the Navajo Nation, will remain in custody while he awaits his trial, which has not been scheduled, according to a news release.

Nelson’s indictment states he placed a minor girl in a situation that endangered her life in October 2022. The girl suffered injuries to her forearm, upper arm, ribs and right leg in the incident.

If he is convicted, Nelson faces a sentence of between 18 and 54 years in prison, according to the release.

The case was investigated by the Farmington resident agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque field office, along with the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations.

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