Woman slips out of handcuffs during arrest and yanks cop to ground by her hair, feds say

A woman slipped out of handcuffs during her arrest and pulled a federal officer’s hair in New Mexico, officials said.

Now the 30-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to assault of a federal officer, prosecutors said.

Henryetta John, of the Santo Domingo Pueblo, was stopped by an officer with the Bureau of Indian Affairs on Oct. 20, 2021, on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, according to an Aug. 10 news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.

Court documents say the officer tried to arrest John and she managed to get out of the handcuffs.

After the officer tried to arrest her again, John grabbed her by the hair and yanked her to the ground, a plea agreement for John said.

McClatchy News reached out to her lawyer on Aug. 11 and was awaiting a response.

John still would not let the officer arrest her, and the two “rolled down a hillside,” prosecutors said.

The officer was left with bruises, cuts and “clumps of hair pulled out,” according to the plea agreement.

John tried to flee but was caught by other officers, the documents said.

John is facing up to 20 years in prison, the release said.

She will remain in custody until being released for substance-abuse treatment, officials said.

Santo Domingo, also known as Kewa Pueblo, is about 35 miles southwest of Santa Fe.