Sun-News Reports

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UPDATE: The charge against Ryan M. Dailey was dismissed without prejudice on July 26, according to court records. It may be re-filed at a later date, pending further investigation.

LAS CRUCES - Ryan M. Dailey, who has twice considered running for Las Cruces City Council, is once again in trouble with the law.

Dailey, 28, has been charged with battery on a household member, a misdemeanor, after he allegedly used a Bible to hit his mother Saturday. He was arrested after the alleged incident on their home and released Monday from the Doña Ana County Detention Center on his own recognizance, after a video arraignment before Magistrate Judge Richard Jacquez.

Dailey's mother told police she and her son were praying Saturday at their home in the 2000 block of Briarwood Lane. Dailey began yelling at his mother, asking her who her soul belonged to, according to Magistrate Court documents. When Dailey's mother tried to leave, Dailey allegedly held the front door shut with his foot and began hitting his mother with a Bible.

Court documents stated Dailey's mother was hit several times in her back and head. Dailey's mother also told police her son kept yelling at her, asking her in an apparent angry manner who her soul belonged to.

Dailey's mother said she tried to leave through the back door, but was grabbed and fell down. While on the ground, Dailey allegedly struck his mother again with the Bible. The woman was eventually able to walk to a neighbor's residence and call police.

Among the conditions Jacquez placed on Dailey's release from jail, is that he cannot have contact with the victim.

An attorney to represent Dailey has not been entered into court records, but he received a conditional court order to have a public defender represent him.

A pretrial hearing before Jacquez is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. March 23.

In August 2011, Dailey filed to run for the District 4 seat on the Las Cruces City Council. However, he was disqualified when he failed to provide enough valid signatures on a petition he was required to submit to the Las Cruces City Clerk's Office.

At that time, Dailey was a strong supporter of public safety.

In early September 2011, Dailey was arrested by Las Cruces police and charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated and failure to maintain traffic laws, which were misdemeanor charges.

In April 2012, Dailey pleaded guilty to the charges. At that time he said the experience was a "wake-up call," and he had learned his lesson. Dailey also said at that time he intended to run for city council in 2015.

While Dailey dealt with the DWI charges in Las Cruces, it was discovered a federal warrant had been issued for a similar charge in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2009, while Dailey was serving in the U.S. Navy. In November 2011, he appeared before federal Magistrate Judge Carmen Garza in Las Cruces and pleaded guilty to the DWI charge in Virginia. In exchange, a misdemeanor charge alleging Dailey was carrying a 10-inch knife hidden in the vehicle he was driving on the Navy post, was dismissed. Dailey was sentenced to one year probation and fined $250.

Prior to November's municipal elections, Dailey said he would run for the council's District 4 seat. However, he never filed the paperwork to enter the race.