Los Lunas Man, 44, Booked on Child Abuse and Aggravated Battery Charges

Allegedly... Manuel Lerma, a 44-year-old resident of Los Lunas, was booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center on May 12, 2026. Records indicate he was arrested at 299 Montana Avenue in Las Cruces and assigned booking number 2600003813. Lerma faces felony charges of child abuse and aggravated battery that may cause death or great bodily harm, and he is currently held without bond. According to news reports, the charges stem from a May 11 incident at a Las Cruces hospice facility. Court and news records show Lerma is accused of strangling his niece while she was holding a toddler. The allegations involving the young child resulted in the additional felony child abuse charge filed by local authorities. The charges are allegations, and Manuel Lerma is presumed innocent unless and until a court finds otherwise.