NMSP News:
LAS CRUCES ― At around 9 p.m. Tuesday, the New Mexico State Police was contacted to investigate an aggravated assault on a peace officer at Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility in Las Cruces.
Investigators learned that at around 7:30 p.m., a prison nurse, escorted by a sergeant and officer, entered a pod at the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility to deliver medicine to inmates. During this time, an inmate got into a verbal argument with a control center officer.
The nurse finished passing out medication and left the pod. The officer and sergeant returned to the pod to place the inmates in lockdown.
As the sergeant spoke to the inmates, other inmates congregated around the pod door. The sergeant and officer were attacked by five inmates. The control officer responded by using less lethal shotgun and pepper ball grenades to stop the attack.
A facility team responded and secured the pod. The five inmates were identified as Gabriel Sedillo, 47, Rico Sena, 32, Robert Dyment, 35, Martin Cuevas, 35, and Irvin Ramirez 26.
The two correctional officers were transported to an area hospital with severe non-life-threatening injuries. The nurse was not injured during the incident.
New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau Agents as well as the New Mexico State Police Crime Scene Team were called.
New Mexico State Police charged the following inmates:
Gabriel Sedillo
Attempted Murder
Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer
Conspiracy to commit Aggravated Assault on Peace Officer
Possession of a deadly weapon by a prisoner
Kidnapping
Conspiracy to commit kidnapping
Rico Sena
Attempted Murder
Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer
Conspiracy to commit Aggravated Assault on Peace Officer
Possession of a deadly weapon by a prisoner
Kidnapping
Conspiracy to commit kidnapping
Robert Dyment
Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer
Conspiracy to commit Aggravated Assault on Peace Officer
Kidnapping
Conspiracy to commit kidnapping
Irvin Ramirez
Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer
Conspiracy to commit Aggravated Assault on Peace Officer
Kidnapping
Conspiracy to commit kidnapping
Martin Cuevas
Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer
Conspiracy to commit Aggravated Assault on Peace Officer
Kidnapping
Conspiracy to commit kidnapping
This investigation is ongoing. The name of the corrections sergeant and officer will not be released by New Mexico State Police. No other information is available.
