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Lea County Sheriff's deputy tased traffic-stop subject after he was on the ground; charged with battery

On January 16, 2026, Lea County Sheriff's Deputy Dustyn Bennett stopped Israel Arenivas on New Mexico Highway 132 while investigating a report of a stolen motorcycle. Body camera footage obtained by KOB 4 shows Bennett grabbed Arenivas, threatened to tase him after he pulled free and remained standing, and then deployed a Taser twice -- once while Arenivas was standing and again after he was already on the ground. Bennett now faces a misdemeanor battery charge over the encounter.

Jurisdiction
New Mexico
Location
Lea County, New Mexico

Abuses documented

Actors

  • Dustyn Bennett (Deputy, Lea County Sheriff's Office)
  • Lea County Sheriff's Office

On January 16, 2026, Lea County Sheriff's Deputy Dustyn Bennett stopped Israel Arenivas on New Mexico Highway 132 while investigating a report of a stolen motorcycle. Body camera footage KOB 4 obtained and published in August 2026 shows Bennett approach a truck towing a trailer of motorcycles and grab Arenivas, who questioned why he was being detained. After Arenivas pulled free of Bennett's grip and remained standing, Bennett told him "Get on the ground or I'm tasing you" and deployed his Taser -- once while Arenivas was still standing, and a second time after Arenivas was already on the ground. Bennett is heard telling other officers at the scene that Arenivas "kind of took a fighting stance, so I tased him."

Bennett now faces a misdemeanor battery charge for his conduct during the stop. KOB 4 reported he is expected to stand trial before a jury; the department has not released a public statement disputing the footage as of this reporting.

Social media

Why we recorded this

The state's monopoly on force depends on that force being used only as necessary, not as punishment once a person is already subdued. Body camera footage obtained by KOB 4 shows a Lea County deputy deploy a Taser on Israel Arenivas a second time after he was already on the ground, and the deputy's own recorded words -- explaining the tasing as a response to a "fighting stance" rather than any ongoing threat -- read differently against the footage than as a bare incident report. A criminal battery charge, filed by prosecutors independent of the department, is itself confirmation this was not ordinary use-of-force discretion. This archive records the charge and the footage together, not the allegation alone.

Sources

  1. Lea County Sheriff's deputy faces charge over traffic stop — KOB 4 primary accessed August 27, 2026

See also