ALBUQUERQUE — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), published as received.
ALBUQUERQUE – A Newcomb man is facing federal child abuse charges after a young child in his care was found with extensive bruising and injuries consistent with repeated physical abuse.
According to court documents, on September 15, 2025, officers with the Navajo Police Department responded to a report from school personnel after a young child was found to have extensive bruising and injuries consistent with abuse. Medical personnel documented numerous bruises and welts across the child’s body in various stages of healing, including injuries with linear patterns consistent with being struck by an object.
At the time the child was residing in the household of Dominic Thomas Jabalera, 40, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, and was under his care at the time the injuries were discovered. Investigators spoke to Jabalera, who provided inconsistent explanations for the child’s injuries, initially claiming no knowledge of any harm and later attributing the injuries to accidents and other children in the household.
As the investigation progressed, forensic interviews and prior social services records revealed multiple earlier reports of suspected abuse involving the same household, including prior observations of unexplained bruising and disclosures of fear and physical harm.
Jabalera is charged with child abuse and will remain in third party custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charge, Jabalera faces up to six years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Burkhead is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
