Docs: Homeless man charged with aggravated battery after attacking other with bat
Dec 27, 2024
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A 46-year-old homeless man has been charged with aggravated battery after he attacked another man with a baseball bat on Tuesday, Dec. 24 in Alamogordo, according to court documents obtained by KTSM on Friday, Dec. 27.
Esteban B. Ojeda Jr., 46, was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and was incarcerated at the Otero County Detention Center, waiting for his court appearance.
According to Alamogordo Police, Ojeda was additionally served with a 12th Judicial District Court bench warrant for failure to comply with conditions of release.
According to the court documents, on Tuesday, Dec. 24, officers were dispatched to conduct a welfare check on a male in an Auto Zone parking lot located at 215 N. White Sands Blvd.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found Dean Ahidley, who had a large wound to the forehead, just above his left eye, and appeared to be disoriented, according to court documents.
Officers saw the wound and said it "looked consistent with a gunshot wound."
Ahidley was then transferred to a hospital in El Paso, court documents said.
Officers later located two other males, who were identified as Esteban B. Ojeda Jr. and David Maillelle.
Ojeda denied any involvement or knowledge of the incident to officers but was found to be wearing a dirty white tank top, appearing as if he was in an altercation and with blood on his body, according to court documents.
Maillelle agreed to speak to the police and advised that all three men were homeless and were drinking alcohol at their campsite, in the desert area west of Auto Zone, according to court documents.
Ahidley told Ojeda that his campsite was "gross and a terrible way to live," according to court documents.
Ahidley walked away and later, Maillelle said he heard what sounded like a "scuffle" between Ahidley and Ojeda.
According to court documents, after the "scuffle," Ahidley returned to the campsite with his head down and appeared drunk, while Ojeda made a comment along the lines of "I showed him" or "I got him."
Maillelle said he did not hear a gunshot, nor had he seen Ojeda with a gun, but told police that Ojeda did carry around a baseball bat and had "threatened to use it against people in the past," according to court documents.
The 12th Judicial District Court search warrant was used by police to search the campsite where Ojeda and Maillelle were detained.
According to court documents, officers found the campsite and saw "the dirt in front of the tent was disturbed as if there was a struggle there."
Police also found Ahidley's cell phone along with a large amount of blood on a separate tent.
In addition, police located the baseball bat and found blood on some of the vegetation next to the bat, according to court documents.
The baseball bat was examined under alternative light sources and revealed material that was "consistent with bodily fluids," according to court documents.
However, the fluids found on the bat could not be determined or confirmed to be blood, according to court documents.
Officers spoke to a physician who was taking care of Ahidley in the hospital and confirmed that there was no evidence of the victim being shot, according to court documents.
The physician also said there was no damage to the skull that would indicate injury by gunshot. However, the physician did not give an official cause or mechanism of injury, court documents said.
"The wound sustained by the victim appeared consistent with that of a wound caused by blunt force trauma and consistent with being cause with an item such as a baseball bat," court documents said.