Dustin Bingham with his attorney Stephen D. Aarons May 12 in First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.com
The Los Alamos Police Department has filed more charges against former local Detention Officer and Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Deputy Dustin Bingham. Bingham is now charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of children, felony and one count of child solicitation by electronic communication device. The three new charges are fourth degree felonies.
Bingham was charged May 3 with eight counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor. First Judicial District Judge T. Glenn Ellington ruled May 12 that Bingham remain in custody pending trial because he posed a danger to the community in general and particularly to others involved in the case. He found there were no conditions of release the court could impose to guarantee the safety of the community.
The new charges, which were filed Tuesday, were the result of a search of three cell phones found on Bingham’s person during his initial arrest. Court records indicate that LAPD Det. Matt Lyon found multiple nude photos of the vaginal area and breasts of two female minors as well as a conversation with one of the girls.
Bingham worked for LAPD from September 2012 to April 2015. He also served as a Santa Fe Sheriff’s Deputy from April 2015 until he resigned in February. The alleged crimes occurred between November 2015 and April 2017, several months after his employment at LAPD ended.
Capt. William Pacheco of the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office confirmed today that SFSO had conducted an internal investigation of Bingham earlier this year and turned their findings over to New Mexico State Police. The Los Alamos Daily Post requested records May 15 from NMSP under the Freedom of Information Act, but was notified May 31, the date the records were due, that they needed more time to process the request.
