A Durango man suspected of stabbing two men at a homeless camp west of city limits was charged Friday with three counts of assault.
Hernando Tsosie, 39, is being held at the La Plata County Jail without bail.
In addition to stabbing two men, Tsosie is suspected of hitting his former girlfriend. As a result, he is charged with misdemeanor assault, an act of domestic violence.
The series of events started late Aug. 27 when Tsosie became upset with his ex-girlfriend because she was hanging out with two other men around her campsite, according to an arrest affidavit.
The woman and two men were drinking and talking near her tent.
Tsosie emerged from the tent and attacked them, including hitting the woman in the head and choking her, according to the affidavit. The woman said she didn’t know Tsosie was inside her tent; they had broken up two months prior, according to the affidavit.
“Things got calm and they all went to sleep” for about an hour when Tsosie returned and stabbed one of the men in the back of the left thigh with a knife, the affidavit says. The man fled while trying to defend himself.
The other man suffered a deep slash to his right palm and scrapes to his face, the affidavit says.
During the melee, Tsosie kicked and hit his ex-girlfriend in the face. He also sat on her while hitting her. He finally picked up a beer, took a drink and poured it over the woman and the remaining man.
The woman convinced Tsosie to allow the man to leave, which he did. He went to another campsite to borrow a cell phone and call police.
Tsosie pleaded guilty in July to invasion of privacy for sexual gratification for peeping into the women’s bathroom at the Durango Welcome Center. He was free on bail while awaiting sentencing, which was set for Sept. 19. The sentencing was postponed as a result of his new charges.
shane@durangoherald.com
