Public Safety

FBI: Gallup Man Charged In Vehicular Assault

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A Gallup man was charged in federal court after allegedly striking and running over a victim with a car and causing her serious injuries.

According to court documents, on Monday, April 27, 2026, Darius Kyran Eskeets, 24, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, allegedly struck the victim with a motor vehicle on a dirt road near a residence in Vanderwagen, New Mexico. During the incident, Eskeets allegedly drove toward the victim and others, causing them to move out of the roadway, before making a U-turn and veering off the road and up an embankment to strike the victim and Read More

DEA El Paso And Partners Remove 4,796 Pounds Of Unused Medications From Communities In West Texas, New Mexico

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DEA News:

EL PASO, TX — DEA and its local law enforcement partners collected 4,796 pounds of unused medications during the 30th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 25, 2026.

“I had the pleasure of visiting multiple locations in El Paso and saw the overwhelming response from our community,” said Omar Arellano, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s El Paso Division. “On behalf of the men and women of the DEA, I thank everyone who came on that Saturday.”

Since 2010, DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has provided an easy and accessible way to dispose of medications that could Read More

New Video By New Mexico Courts Explains Jury Duty

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The Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court celebrates Juror Appreciation Week. From left to right: Jury Division staff Emily Dominguez, Abbey Whitaker and Manager Alyssia Trujillo. Courtesy/Metro Court

COURT News:

SANTA FE – A new video provides a clear, modern guide to serving as a juror in a New Mexico court.

The orientation video explains what to expect during jury service, including what happens if a person must report to a courthouse for possible selection as a juror in a criminal or civil trial. Click here to view the juror orientation video on the New Mexico Courts YouTube channel.

“New Read More

UPDATE: Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office Closing NM 502 Due To Crash

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UPDATE: N.M. 502 has reopened to traffic in both directions.

LAPD News:

The Los Alamos Police Department (LAPD) is sharing the following information related to the N.M. 502 closure:

The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office has notified Los Alamos Police that they will be closing N.M. 502 in both directions at mile marker 13 due to a head-on collision with injuries. 

The crash is located about 3 miles east of N.M. 30 and 2 miles west of Pojoaque High School. 

It is unknown how long the closure will remain in effect.  Commuters are encouraged to seek an alternate route and to expect delays. Read More

Robinson: To Survive, News Outlets Learn New Ways Of Reaching Readers

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By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2026 New Mexico News Services

This week, after a conference of New Mexico Press Women, I’d like to turn the high beams on my own world – newspapers, reporting and journalism. Despite bad news and worrisome trends, I came away hopeful because the public still wants local news. That’s a reliable constant we newshounds can hold to our hearts.

But we’re in troubled waters.

The nation’s founding fathers considered basic freedoms of the press so important to the new democracy that they cemented them in place with the First Amendment.

“It was about accountability in a Read More

Los Alamos County Los Alamos County Sheriff Candidates Pitch Platforms During League Of Women Voters 2026 Primary Forum

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From left, Los Alamos County Sheriff candidate David Izraelvitz, League of Women Voters of Los Alamos President Felicia Orth and Sheriff candidate Antonio Maggiore attend the League’s 2026 Primary Candidate Forum Thursday at UNM-LA. Photo by Tomás Redondo/ladailypost.com

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
Kirsten@ladailypost.com

To prove they are worthy of the public’s vote, two candidates for Los Alamos County Sheriff made their pitch during the League of Women Voters of Los Alamos 2026 Primary Candidate Forum Thursday at the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos.

The Sheriff candidates Read More

Enforcement Watch Alert: 146 Enforcement Actions Initiated; 115 Resolved In April 2026

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NMED News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department is highlighting the ongoing success of its Enforcement Watch initiative, a transparency-focused program that provides the public with consistent and timely information about the Department’s enforcement actions across environmental protection, public health, and worker safety programs.  

By making enforcement data accessible, Enforcement Watch reinforces NMED’s commitment to New Mexico residents for accountability and regulatory compliance statewide. 

Launched in May 2023, Enforcement Watch shares monthly updates Read More

FBI: Arizona Woman Sentenced For Endangering Children In Drunken High-Speed Crash

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — An Arizona woman was sentenced to five years of probation for driving drunk with her three young children.

According to court documents, May 4, 2024, the Navajo Nation Police Department responded to multiple reports of a vehicle driven by Avedale Johnson, 41, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, traveling erratically at a high rate of speed on U.S. Highway 491. Officers recorded the vehicle traveling 98 miles per hour. Because of the extreme speed and dangerous driving behavior, officers discontinued the pursuit and continued monitoring the vehicle.

Officers Read More

FBI: ‘Dirty Bondsman’ Charged With Trafficking, Forced Labor Scheme

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FBI News:

  • If convicted of the current charges, Hernandez faces up to life in prison.

ALBUQUERQUE – A Las Cruces bounty hunter is facing federal charges after he allegedly bonded vulnerable individuals out of jail and exploited them through coercion and threats.

According to court documents, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) received information that Robert Jay Hernandez, 62, a bounty hunter working for a bail bond company in Las Cruces, New Mexico, was bonding individuals out of the Doña Ana County Detention Center and requiring them to live at his personal residence.

Investigators Read More

New Mexico Supreme Court Upholds Man’s Convictions For Murder At Albuquerque Motel

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COURT News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Supreme Court has affirmed a Bernalillo County man’s convictions for a fatal shooting in 2021 at an Albuquerque motel and conspiring to rob the victim.

In a unanimous opinion written by Justice Michael E. Vigil, the Court rejected arguments by the defendant, Christopher Maldonado, that there was not enough evidence to convict him and that the jury was confused by the instructions it received from the trial court.

“Viewing the evidence in its entirety, a reasonable jury could have found that Defendant was the masked individual who shot Victim. We conclude Read More