Mrs. Weaver told officers she was preparing dinner when her husband, Joseph Weaver, called her into the bedroom. When she arrived in the room, she saw Mr. Weaver standing with a pocketknife in his hand. After further inspection of the home, officers discovered a bloody pocketknife, blood on the bathroom wall, and a decapitated kitten wrapped in a towel.
From Bloomfield Police:
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
During the evening of January 10, 2021, officers with the Bloomfield Police Department were dispatched to the 1700 block of Mountain View regarding a welfare check on Joseph Weaver's household. Upon arrival, officers met with Mr. Weaver's distraught family regarding their decapitated 9-week-old gray kitten.
Mrs. Weaver told officers she was preparing dinner when her husband, Joseph Weaver, called her into the bedroom. When she arrived in the room, she saw Mr. Weaver standing with a pocketknife in his hand. The family's kitten was floating in the bathroom sink with the head severed from the body. After further inspection of the home, officers discovered a bloody pocketknife, blood on the bathroom wall, and a decapitated kitten wrapped in a towel.
Joseph Weaver, an off-duty Jicarilla Game and Fish Officer, was charged with Extreme Cruelty to Animals a 4th Degree Felony and booked at the San Juan County Detention Center.
The governor’s visit was carefully scheduled to give first responders, law enforcement and emergency vehicles ample time to complete rescues and other emergency work during the flooding. Now that the floodwaters are receding and initial damage assessments are underway, the Governor will survey the disaster zone and work to get families the help they need.
Bloomfield Residents and businesses: please minimize water use until further notice. Postpone laundry and dishwasher use, keep showers brief, and reduce toilet flushing when practical and sanitary. Every reduction helps limit wastewater entering the river.
The district has worked with the Lower Valley Water Users Association on the testing needed to lift the boil water notice. Because of the number of tests required, the district has decided to keep students on remote learning as a precaution for their well-being. If test results come back early, the district must still follow processes and protocols to flush and clear the water lines at each school before in-person instruction can resume. Safety is our top priority for the well-being of our Kirtland students.
Water Samples taken from the Lower Valley Water Association system have tested negative for e-coli. The Boil Water notice has been lifted for customers.
Through the course of the investigation, detectives discovered that Lauren Patterson’s husband, Jess Patterson, had previously resided in California and had been arrested at least 6 times for domestic violence in that state and had been arrested in July 2026 in New Mexico for battering Ms. Patterson. An autopsy revealed Ms. Patterson suffered multiple broken bones, bruising, and internal injuries.