Two female Montezuma-Cortez High School students allegedly involved in a stabbing near Walmart last Friday appeared in court this week.
The first suspect is charged with nine counts, including one count of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault and six violent juvenile offender sentence enhancers.
The second is charged with menacing and false reporting for providing false identifying information to police.
Both are on pretrial supervision and face a restraining order from the victim.
Police have identified the victim as a male, but the victim Thursday told The Journal she is crossgender. She said she is a male who identifies as female and prefers the pronoun “she.”
She said she is recovering from the stabbing but is in pain.
The victim said she and the two female suspects live on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation.
Cortez Police Lt. Andy Brock said Thursday the investigation is continuing.
Montezuma-Cortez School District Re-1 Superintendent Lori Haukeness said she is not able to release information relating to specific students but she said the district is working closely with the police department.
“Obviously we don’t like any assault in our community at all,” Haukeness said. “Since it happened off of school grounds, the police are conducting their investigation.”
As the incident involved juveniles, court documents are restricted, but hearings are open to the public.
During Thursday’s court hearing, Magistrate Judge Sarah F. Law said the assault charges against the first suspect state the suspect acted with intent and used a knife to cause serious bodily injury.
The first suspect is scheduled to appear in court for an appearance of counsel hearing on Nov. 7 and a setting hearing on Nov. 15. The second suspect is scheduled for a pretrial conference on Nov. 15.
Brock said both suspects were involved several weeks ago in another altercation near Hibbett Sports, which is adjacent to the Walmart and high school.
He said nobody was stabbed but a knife was brandished.
“They’re just not thinking,” Brock said. sdolan@the-journal.com
