Courts

AG Balderas Secures Prison Sentence For Power Of Attorney Accused Of Financially Exploiting Nursing Home Resident

by

Attorney General Hector Balderas

AG News:

ALAMOGORDO — New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced Monday that Guadalupe Evelyn Kingston, who held power of attorney for a nursing home resident, was sentenced to five years in the Department of Corrections for the crimes of Exploitation of a Resident’s Property (over $20,000), two counts of Forgery (each over $20,000), Identity Theft, and Falsification of Documents.

As part of her sentence, Ms. Kingston was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $84,094.44 and is prohibited from working with minors or vulnerable adults upon Read More

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury Votes To Empower Communities To Prevent Gun Violence Through Extreme Risk Protection Orders 

by

From the Office of U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury:

 …The two bills bring federal support to laws similar to New Mexico’s Extreme Risk Protection Order established in 2020.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) voted Thursday to empower communities to prevent incidents of gun violence. 

The Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act empowers family members and law enforcement to seek a federal court order to temporarily remove access to guns from those who pose a danger to themselves or others, while incentivizing states to adopt their own so-called “red flag laws”.

Read More

FBI: Mexican Springs Man Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter

by

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE – Quinten Smith, 22, of Mexican Springs and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, pleaded guilty May16 in federal court to voluntary manslaughter in Indian Country. Smith will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.

A federal grand jury indicted Smith Oct. 19, 2021. According to the plea agreement and other court records, on Sept. 24, 2021, Smith and other family members went to the home of the victim, identified as John Doe, to confront him for allegedly assaulting Smith’s mother. When they arrived at the home, a physical altercation ensued. Read More

FBI: Former New Mexico State Police Officer Gets 7 Years For Distribution Of Marijuana, Methamphetamine

by

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced Wednesday that Daniel Capehart was sentenced June 7 to seven years in prison.

A federal jury convicted Capehart, 37, of Bloomfield, New Mexico, July 22, 2021, of three counts of distribution of marijuana and methamphetamine, two of which occurred within 1,000 feet of a school or playground in San Juan County, New Mexico.

According to court records, on three occasions, Capehart, who at the time was a patrol officer with the New Mexico State Police, provided illegal drugs to people Read More

AG Hector Balderas Secures Guilty Plea For Predator

by

New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas

AG News:

ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announces that Conrado Castro pled guilty Tuesday, in the Second Judicial District Court, to Criminal Sexual Penetration (Child 13-18) and Sexual Exploitation of Children (Child Under 13).

Castro sexually molested his 13-year-old sister-in-law on multiple occasions and also was downloading and collecting child pornography. Sentencing in this matter is to be set in 90 days.

“Protecting our children is one of the highest priorities of my office, and I will continue to aggressively Read More

FBI: Man Pleads Guilty To Assault With Dangerous Weapon

by

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — Perfinna King, 42, of Fruitland, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, pleaded guilty May 25 in federal court to assault with a dangerous weapon in Indian Country.

King will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.

According to the plea agreement and other court records, Nov. 2, 2020, King, swerved into the lane of another vehicle. The other driver pulled over, believing it was a relative playing a joke on him. Instead, it was King, who began cursing and threatening him. When the other driver took a photo of King’s license plate, King attempted Read More

FBI: Roswell Man Gets 110 Years For Child Pornography

by

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that Dain Justin Adams was sentenced June 1 to 110 years in prison.

After a five-day trial, a federal jury convicted Adams, 41, of Roswell, Jan. 28, 2020, of possession of child pornography, conspiracy to produce child pornography, receipt of child pornography and two counts of distribution of child pornography.

Adams was charged Dec. 17, 2019, in a superseding indictment. According to the indictment and other court records, June 27, 2018, law enforcement officers executed a Read More

Staggered Retention Elections For Judges Permissible Under New Mexico Constitution

by

NMSC News:

SANTA FE — There is no constitutional prohibition against the staggering of retention elections for district and metropolitan court judges as enacted by legislation last year, the New Mexico Supreme Court (NMSC) concluded in an opinion issued Thursday.

The unanimous opinion provides the legal reasoning for a Court decision announced from the bench Dec. 2, 2021, when the justices rejected a challenge to the Legislature’s latest effort to balance the number of judicial positions up for retention in the same election cycle.

Voters adopted a constitutional amendment in 2020 authorizing Read More

Former New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Barbara Vigil Honored By Tribal-State Judicial Consortium

by

Retired New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Barbara Vigil, center, currently the secretary of the Children, Youth and Families Department, receives an engraved award plaque in recognition of her nearly two decades of work on behalf of the New Mexico Tribal-State Judicial Consortium. The award was presented by Consortium co-chairs Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court Judge Renee Torres and Acoma Pueblo Tribal Court Judge Randolph Collins. Courtesy/AOC

Tribal-State Judicial Consortium News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Tribal-State Judicial Consortium has honored retired Supreme Court Read More

NMSP Probe After-Graduation Party Murder In Tucumcari

by

NMSP News:

The New Mexico State Police (NMSP) Uniform Bureau in Tucumcari responded around 9:45 p.m. Saturday, May 28, to Cemetery Road and 4774 Quay County Road 63 in Tucumcari in reference to a shooting victim.

The victim, later identified as Michael Arellano, 46, of Tucumcari was transported to the local hospital where he was pronounced deceased by the Office of the Medical Investigator.

NMSP Investigations Bureau was called to investigate the incident. Agents learned that Arellano and Tyje Garrett, 42, of Tucumcari were at a graduation party at a residence in Tucumcari.

Sometime during Read More