Father accused of forcefully grabbing, biting child
A Watrous man is facing child abuse charges for allegedly grabbing, biting and throwing one of his children, according to arrest documents filed in court.
Las Vegas police responded to the allegations around 4 p.m. on March 9 during a planned exchange between the mother and father. When the child stated they did not want to go with 26-year-old Jose K. Eversole, he began acting aggressively, according to court records.
The child’s mother told police Eversole grabbed the child near the “belly area,” lifted them, bit them on an ear and threw them “into his vehicle with force,” according to an arrest affidavit filed in San Miguel Magistrate Court. Police found bruises on the child’s belly, earlobe and eyebrow.
Portions of the incident were recorded on a cellphone, and police say Eversole can be heard in the video making “verbally abusive statements” toward the child and the mother.
Eversole is charged with one count of felony abuse of a child. He was arrested and booked into the San Miguel County Detention Center March 11.
In September of last year, Eversole contacted police and alleged that the mother of the children had taken them out of the state without permission, in violation of a custody agreement.
An arrest warrant was issued for the mother, charging her with two counts of felony custodial interference, and police searched for her and the children in two states.
Weeks later, however, the court canceled the arrest warrant after an attorney for the mother provided proof that the “safety plan” cited by Eversole had been put in place by the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department and was entered into voluntarily. Because the agreement was not ordered by a court, Magistrate Judge Melanie Rivera dismissed the charges against the mother.
In November, Eversole was shot in the leg by a man following an argument at a home on Railroad Avenue.
Preston R. Martinez, now 35, is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection to the Nov. 16, 2021, shooting. Martinez is still awaiting trial in District Court.
Eversole was treated for the gunshot wound by paramedics and later taken to Alta Vista Regional Hospital, according to an affidavit filed in San Miguel Magistrate Court in November 2021.
Eversole was in court Monday to be arraigned on one count of abuse of a child not resulting in death or great bodily harm, a third-degree felony.
During the Monday hearing, Judge Christian Montaño set a $3,000 bond for Eversole. He was released from jail Monday evening.
Eversole is scheduled to appear in Magistrate Court for a preliminary hearing March 24.
