A Bloomfield woman has been charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after investigators alleged she was involved in two confrontations over a vehicle at a property near Aztec, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit filed in San Juan County Magistrate Court.

Onycha Talamante, 31, of Bloomfield, is charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Court records also identify Shane Mayeux, 37, of Farmington, and Dustin Harper, of Farmington, in connection with the investigation. State cases involving both men were later dismissed without prejudice; their procedural histories are detailed below. All charges and allegations described in this report are based on court records. Talamante is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

According to the arrest-warrant affidavits, a family reported that two men and a woman arrived at their property at about 4 a.m. May 22 and demanded possession of a vehicle located there. Investigators wrote that a family member refused to give them access to the vehicle and told them to leave.

Investigators alleged surveillance video from the property showed Mayeux and Talamante during the earlier encounter.

According to the affidavits, the family reported that Talamante and two men returned at about 6 a.m. The family described the men as wearing black clothing and ski masks and alleged one was carrying two handguns while the other had one handgun.

According to the affidavits, a family member told investigators one of the men demanded the vehicle before allegedly firing several shots at him and his family. The vehicle was later described in the investigation as a Maserati.

No members of the family were reported injured. According to the affidavits, the family retreated into the residence and called 911. Deputies who responded reported finding a single spent shell casing in the driveway that investigators wrote was consistent with the family’s account.

Investigators also reported that surveillance video showed Talamante at the property during the second encounter. Court records state members of the family told investigators they feared for their lives and believed the masked men were going to shoot them.

On May 28, detectives located Mayeux at his Farmington residence, according to a statement of probable cause. Investigators obtained and executed a search warrant for the property and vehicles there.

According to the probable cause statement, detectives reported finding a Smith & Wesson .380-caliber pistol and a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol concealed beneath clothing on the back seat of a vehicle Mayeux had been driving. Investigators also reported finding 12 rounds of 9x19mm ammunition in the driver’s door panel.

The probable cause statement identifies Mayeux as a convicted felon. According to the probable cause statement, investigators wrote that Mayeux acknowledged he was a convicted felon, knew he should not possess firearms and said he needed firearms for protection.

Investigators further alleged Mayeux admitted participating in efforts to obtain the vehicle and said he, Talamante and Harper had gone to the property during both encounters. According to the affidavits, Mayeux told detectives that after the group was denied possession of the vehicle during the first encounter, they returned later to try again and convince the family to give them the Maserati.

According to investigators, Mayeux told detectives he was armed with two handguns and Harper was armed with one handgun during the second encounter. According to the affidavits, investigators wrote that Mayeux identified Harper as the person who fired at the family before the three left the property.

Charges Identified in Court Records

• Onycha Talamante: Three counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit filed June 5.
• Dustin Harper: An arrest-warrant affidavit initially sought three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and three counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Harper’s state case was subsequently dismissed without prejudice.
• Shane Mayeux: The provided statement of probable cause documents his arrest and allegations arising from the investigation but does not list the specific charge or charges. A subsequent district court filing shows a criminal information had been filed against Mayeux before state prosecutors dismissed it without prejudice June 2.

Case Status

An Aug. 13 court notice lists Talamante as “jail” in its certificate of service and schedules a preliminary examination for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 20 before Magistrate Judge Trudy Reed-Chase. The notice reflects information recorded by the court on Aug. 13 and does not independently establish Talamante’s custody status at the time of publication.

Court records identify Dominique DiNallo as Talamante’s attorney. DiNallo filed an entry of appearance on Talamante’s behalf July 29.

Mayeux’s state case followed a different procedural path. In a June 2 nolle prosequi filed in 11th Judicial District Court, state prosecutors dismissed the criminal information against Mayeux without prejudice. The filing states that the charges “are going to be prosecuted in Federal Court by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

The same filing states the criminal information was dismissed without prejudice pending further investigation and that criminal charges may be refiled at a later time. The records provided to San Juan Pulse do not include a federal charging document establishing whether a federal case was subsequently filed. The June 2 filing identifies Tyson Quail as Mayeux’s defense counsel.

Harper’s magistrate court case was dismissed without prejudice July 30, according to a notice of dismissal filed in San Juan County Magistrate Court in Aztec. The notice states the complaint was dismissed pending further investigation and that “Criminal charges may be refiled at a later time.” The provided records do not establish that charges against Harper have since been refiled.

The supplied court records do not explain why Talamante’s state case continued while the state cases involving Mayeux and Harper were dismissed.

Legal Disclaimer

All charges and allegations described in this report are based on court records. Talamante is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. Harper’s state case described above was dismissed without prejudice, and Mayeux’s state criminal information was dismissed without prejudice. The records provided to San Juan Pulse do not establish that either state case was subsequently refiled, and the supplied records do not include a federal charging document establishing that a federal case against Mayeux was subsequently filed.