ENMU baseball player jailed for battery

MANAGING EDITOR

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An Eastern New Mexico University baseball player was arrested Thursday for breaking another ballplayer’s jaw in a fight at the end of a game last month.

Daniel Ward, 23, was booked into the Roosevelt County Detention Center for aggravated battery, a third-degree felony, after an incident that took place in Hobbs on April 28.

The warrant for arrest was issued by Lea County, but ENMU Police Chief Brad Mauldin confirmed Friday that his department made Thursday’s arrest.

Ward was released at 2:57 p.m. on Thursday, one hour after his arrest, on a $10,000 cash or surety bond.

He declined to comment for this report.

According to a Hobbs Police Department report, Ward punched University of the Southwest baseball player Tyler Pacheco, 23, when a fight broke out between the two university’s baseball teams at the end of a game.

Witnesses did not know or did not elaborate on how the fight broke out, but three of the Hobbs players who were interviewed as witnesses said Pacheco was trying to break the fight up when he was punched in the face.

Ward was described in detail by three witnesses, who all identified his jersey number, according to the report.

Police later learned in an interview with Pacheco that Pacheco’s jaw was broken in two places. The jaw was later repaired with metal plates.

Ward, who was interviewed Tuesday at the ENMU Police Department, told police he saw two of his teammates being battered by the entire Hobbs team and went to break up the fight.

Ward told police he began swinging in self-defense after he was hit in his left eye but did not know if he hit anyone.

Ward referred to eyewitnesses saying he was the aggressor in the situation as being “hearsay.”

ENMU baseball Coach David Gomez said in his interview that he observed his batter collide with the first baseman of the other team then a large fight broke out.

Gomez told police at the time of the incident he was focused on trying to break up the various “scuffles” and did not observe if Ward was hit by anyone or had struck anyone.

Gomez did not respond to phone calls seeking comment to this report.

ENMU President Steven Gamble said Friday afternoon that he did not know much about the situation so far, but the university would be conducting its own investigation.

“I wish I knew more about what had happened but I don’t. I have talked with a police officer in Hobbs, and I know it is a serious charge,” Gamble said.

“I do know what happened; I do know it’s serious; and Eastern will cooperate with the authorities completely.”

Gamble said as of Friday afternoon he had not spoken with Gomez or Ward yet about the situation.

“We have not discussed any university action yet,” he said. “Once we conduct our own investigation, we will draw our own conclusions.”