Las Cruces Man Suspected of Beating Girlfriend Saturday Evening Charged

A Las Cruces man suspected of beating up his girlfriend Saturday evening has been charged with a pair of felonies.

Joshua J. Baeza, 35, is charged with one count of battery against a household member causing great bodily harm and one count of battery against a household member.

Shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, Las Cruces Police were dispatched to the report of a domestic disturbance at a home on the 3200 block of Del Rey Boulevard. Officers met Baeza who wished to report that his television had been damaged during an altercation with his 27-year-old girlfriend.

During the initial interview, Baeza insisted that the altercation with not physical and he only wanted to report that his television was damaged. Baeza told officers that his girlfriend left the residence but refused to provide her phone number or identify what she was wearing so officers could locate the woman and check on her welfare.

Baeza became increasingly upset with officers and eventually asked that they leave.

One of the officers began looking for the woman and was flagged down by three people in a vehicle on Del Rey Boulevard. One of the occupants of the vehicle was Baeza’s girlfriend who had visible injuries to her face and upper torso.

Detectives learned that shortly after Baeza and his girlfriend arrived at their shared residence Saturday evening, Baeza began yelling at the woman and called her names. The argument then turned physical when Baeza is accused of pushing her into a wall and then punching her at least twice on the left side of her face.

Baeza is also accused of holding his girlfriend on the floor and placing his forearm across her neck until she nearly lost consciousness. The woman eventually fled the home and called relatives who found her walking on Del Rey Boulevard.

Baeza was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center but has since been released on bond.