Son of woman accused of boiling puppies charged with pointing rifle at brothers
- Timothy Joseph Crouch, 31, is accused of three felony counts of aggravated assault, according to court records.
- Crouch is charged with taking a black rifle, pointing it at three of his brothers and threatening their lives during an argument over dinner.
- His preliminary hearing is set for the morning of July 17 in Aztec Magistrate Court.
FARMINGTON — The son of a San Juan County woman accused of committing child abuse and boiling puppies on the kitchen stove of a Cedar Hill home is accused of pointing a rifle at three of his brothers last month and threatening to kill them during a dispute over hot dogs.
An investigation of the gun incident by the San Juan County Sheriff's Office led to the arrest of Timothy Joseph Crouch, 31.
It also yielded multiple allegations of abuse and neglect from several children that led to the June 24 arrests of his parents, Timothy P. and Martha Crouch, according to court documents.
Martha faces charges including child abuse, extreme cruelty to animals and obstruction of investigation of child abuse or neglect. She is accused of beating her 17-year-old daughter, shooting a dog belonging to the daughter and boiling puppies in a large pot at the family's residence in Cedar Hill. She has only been charged with crimes which allegedly involved one of the daughters.
MORE:Woman accused of beating daughter, shooting dog and boiling puppies
Timothy P. Crouch faces an obstruction of investigation of child abuse or neglect charge for helping his wife and four of his children evade law enforcement and investigators for the New Mexico Children, Youth and Family Department in May.
Martha and Timothy P. Crouch made their first appearances in Aztec Magistrate Court on the morning of June 26. Her cash at 10 percent bond was set at $50,000, and he was released on his own recognizance.
Timothy Joseph Crouch is accused of three felony counts of aggravated assault in connection to the rifle incident, according to court records. Mary Weber, Crouch's attorney, declined to comment on the case. Crouch is charged with taking a black rifle, pointing it at three of his brothers and threatening their lives during an argument over dinner, according to court documents.
Timothy Joseph Crouch was released from the San Juan County Adult Detention Center per a court order. His preliminary hearing is set for the morning of July 11 in Aztec Magistrate Court.
Argument over food leads to arrest, child abuse inquest
The San Juan County Sheriff's Office investigation into Timothy Joseph Crouch's case was launched on May 30 when a deputy was dispatched to San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington. The deputy spoke to the 17-year-old daughter of the Crouches, who was the alleged victim cited in Martha's charges.
She told the deputy her brother pointed a gun at three of her older brothers and told them he was going to kill them. The deputy then set up an interview with the three alleged victims at a business in Aztec. During that interview they told the deputy they would like their brother, Timothy Joseph Crouch, arrested.
The incident allegedly occurred on May 29 when mother Martha Crouch and some of the suspect's siblings were allegedly evading child social service workers by traveling within the county and to Durango, Colorado.
The brothers told the deputy that at around 10:30 p.m. on May 29, the brothers returned to their Cedar Hill residence after they dropped their father at the hospital. An argument over making hot dogs occurred, which the brothers stated led to Timothy Joseph Crouch becoming upset and grabbing a black rifle in the living room.
One of the brothers stated the suspect loaded a magazine with live ammunition, put it into the rifle, pulled the bolt back and chambered a live round.
A brother stated Timothy Joseph Crouch told the brothers he was going to kill them while pointing the rifle at them. One of the brothers grabbed the barrel of the rifle while the suspect was distracted and took the firearm out of his hands, a court document states.
Another brother had armed himself with a pistol during the incident but had left it holstered and did not point it at the suspect.
Joshua Kellogg covers breaking news for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.