Las Cruces Father Arrested On Child Abuse Charges

A Las Cruces father was arrested Thursday on child abuse charges after police said he struck his 9-year-old daughter multiple times.

It all began Wednesday, when Las Cruces police said 26-year-old Reyes Francisco Perez was injecting himself with a hypodermic needle while his 9-year-old daughter was watching. That’s when police said Perez became angry and repeatedly hit the girl.

Police learned of the incident on Thursday and went to Perez’s home to serve a warrant for his arrest. Perez then barricaded himself in the home and refused to leave, according to officers.

The Las Cruces Police Department?s SWAT team was called to the home and a portion of Spruce Avenue was closed during the incident.

According to police, it took an hour for Perez to finally exit the home. He was then arrested and charged with one count of intentional child abuse and taken to the Dona Ana County Detention Center .