An Alcalde man was bound over on a charge of battery on an officer, stemming from his arrest on a warrant in a child abuse case where he allegedly attacked his nieces and nephews.

Los Alamos Magistrate Judge Catherine Taylor bound over James Valdez, 27, on a single charge each of battery on a peace officer, a fourth degree felony; and resisting arrest, a misdemeanor, on Dec. 10, following a preliminary hearing, where the officer who arrested him testified, according to Taylor’s order.

New Mexico State Police Officer Marcus Lopez, who testified, initially arrested Valdez on the charges on Oct. 15, as well as on a bench warrant in the child abuse case.

Valdez is set to go to trial in both cases on April 6.

He was bound over on both cases on the same day — Dec. 11.

In the earlier case, from April 6, he was bound over on three counts of child abuse, after waiving a preliminary hearing. In exchange for the waiver of the preliminary hearing, prosecutors agreed to drop two charges: battery on a household member and criminal damage to the property of a household member, both misdemeanors.

He was arraigned in Tierra Amarilla District Court on both cases on Dec. 22.

The Cases In the initial case, State Police Officer Matthew Bustos arrested Valdez for allegedly attacking his nieces and nephews and his grandfather because his older sister yelled at their younger brother over the phone.

Their 18-year-old younger brother had been living with his sister, the mother of the three children he attacked, because their grandparents’ house was filthy, Bustos wrote.

The mother showed Bustos text messages from her children at the time of the attack, including some that said, “Mom he just hit us,” “He hit JV and me and DV,” “He kicked JV in the face,” and “Tackled DV and me,” he wrote.

The children told Bustos that Valdez kicked one in the head and then punched him, another said he was pushed into a portable fan and a third was kicked in the face, Bustos wrote.

Valdez was wanted on a bench warrant in that child abuse case when Lopez ran his plate on Oct. 15, 2025, as he drove past him on Fairview Lane.

Valdez’s name came back as being wanted on a magistrate court failure to appear bench warrant in the child abuse case.

Lopez was able to track him down at the Española Hospital, where he arrested him on the warrant, Lopez wrote.

Lopez handcuffed him and while handcuffed, Valdez allegedly said he was going to get his father from inside and started to walk away. Lopez ordered him to stop and grabbed the handcuffs, but Valdez “pulled his body away in an attempt to break free,” the officer wrote.

Lopez brought him to the patrol car and while near the rear door, Valdez allegedly turned away from Lopez and kicked him once in the right thigh, he wrote.