Courts

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A Canoncito man was sentenced to three years’ probation for his role in the violent 2022 assault that led to the death of John Doe.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, May 27, 2022, Landen Toledo, 21, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, along with Cole Ray Shorty, confronted John Doe at his residence to retrieve Shorty’s backpack. During the confrontation, John Doe exited his vehicle with a baseball bat. Toledo grabbed John Doe by the wrists, threw him to the ground, and kicked him in the stomach several times, causing him to drop the Read More

NMSP News:

New Mexico State Police (NMSP) arrested a New Mexico Corrections Department Officer May 15, 2025, on multiple charges of Criminal Sexual Contact of female inmates after a lengthy investigation.

The investigation began April 16, 2025, when the New Mexico State Police Uniform Bureau received information about alleged sexual assaults that occurred at the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants. Multiple female inmates alleged that corrections officer Elijah Williams, 21, sexually assaulted them.

During the investigation, NMSP revealed credible evidence suggesting Read More

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A Dulce man has been charged by indictment with assault following an alleged incident that left the victim with severe injuries.

According to court documents, Feb. 1, 2025, James William Julian, 25, an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, assaulted and seriously injured John Doe.

Julian is charged with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been set. If convicted, Julian faces up to 10 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau Read More

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A Vanderwagon man pleaded guilty to assault and federal firearms charges after firing shots and threatening a man with a rifle during a confrontation on the Navajo Nation.

According to court records May 1, 2023, Perris Jeremiah Arthur, 36, initiated a confrontation at John Doe’s residence in Vanderwagon. Arthur then went outside to retrieve a rifle from his ATV, fired two shots into the RV, and later pointed the weapon directly at John Doe, threatening him with the firearm. 

At sentencing, Arthur faces a minimum of seven years and up to life in prison. Upon his release from Read More

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge and his wife are facing federal charges related to alleged evidence tampering in a case involving a suspected member of a Venezuelan criminal organization.

According to court records, April 24, 2025, Jose Luis “Joel” Cano, 67, and Nancy Ann Cano, 68, were arrested at their Las Cruces home following a federal investigation into their connection with Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an undocumented Venezuelan national suspected of being affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang. Federal authorities allege that the Canos hired Ortega-Lopez Read More

NMSP News:

HOBBS — May 5, 2025, the New Mexico State Police (NMSP) Investigations Bureau was requested by the Hobbs Police Department to investigate an officer-involved shooting (OIS).

State Police agents learned that at approximately 2:48 a.m. May 5, officers with the Hobbs Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a Ford pickup truck driven by 40-year-old Justin Marshall Williams of Hobbs.

Williams fled from officers, and the vehicle was located a few moments later, parked in front of a residence on West White Street. A second traffic stop was initiated, and Williams again Read More