Courts

New Mexico State Police And 2nd District Attorney’s Office Team Up To Take 16 Felons Off Streets Of Bernalillo County

Fentanyl seized during recent three-day crime-fighting operation in Bernalillo County. Courtesy/NMSP

Items seized during recent three-day crime-fighting operation in Bernalillo County. Courtesy/NMSP

NMSP News:

ALBUQUERQUE — During a three-day operation in Bernalillo County aimed at disrupting criminal activity associated with violent crime, narcotics and auto theft, the New Mexico State Police (NMSP) Crime Suppression Bureau and 2nd District Attorney’s Office joined forces to apprehend fugitives from justice and substantially impact crime.

At around 11 p.m., Thursday, Feb. Read More

Los Lunas Man Who Shot New Mexico State Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Federal Firearms Offense

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced Tuesday that Caleb Elledge pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Elledge, 26, of Los Lunas, will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.

A federal grand jury indicted Elledge June 28, 2022. According to publicly available court records, Feb. 11, 2022, New Mexico State Police (NMSP) Lt. Jeremy Vaughan was on duty when he pulled in the Mr. Gas Mart located at 1192 Read More

Michael Redondo To Run For Los Alamos County Clerk

Michael Redondo has announced his candidacy for County Clerk. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com

Continuing his life of service, former Los Alamos County Probate Judge Michael D. Redondo has announced his intention to run for Los Alamos County Clerk. Clerk Naomi Maestas term limits out Dec. 31, 2024, after serving two consecutive 4-year terms.

Redondo stepped down from his judgeship Feb. 2, 2024, to allow the person appointed to fill that vacancy the opportunity to participate in annual training offered in early February. Read More

FBI: Santa Fe Felon Gets 48 Months For Firearms Offense

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Gilbert Michael Coriz was sentenced to 48 months in prison.

Coriz pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition July 14, 2023.

A federal grand jury indicted Coriz Dec. 8, 2021. According to publicly available court records, at approximately 2:52 a.m., Jan. 1, 2021, Santa Fe Police Department (SFPD) officers were dispatched to the scene of gunshots fired at Coriz’s Read More

DEA Announces $19 Million Settlement With Morris & Dickson Co. On Failure To Report Thousands Of Unusually Large Orders Of Oxycodone And Hydrocodone

DEA News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced a settlement with pharmaceutical distributor Morris & Dickson Co., LLC for failing to maintain effective controls against diversion of controlled substances, including failure to report to DEA thousands of unusually large orders of oxycodone and hydrocodone.

Morris & Dickson, which owned and operated two distribution centers registered with the DEA as distributors of Schedules II-V controlled substances, has admitted to all wrongdoing previously determined by the DEA Administrator and will Read More

State Police Discover Body Under Residence, Arrest 6

NMSP News:

On Jan. 26,2024, New Mexico State Police (NMSP) conducted an operation to locate individuals who had active warrants for their arrest. Robert Geyer, 62, of Taos was known to have a warrant and was believed to be at 810 Harris Lane in Taos.

Officers arrived and immediately contacted several individuals outside the residence. Officers spoke to a female subject who provided information that Geyer was inside the residence.

As officers made contact with Geyer, he brandished a firearm and shot himself. Paramedics arrived on scene and transported Geyer to an area hospital where he succumbed Read More

FBI: Albuquerque Man Found Guilty Of Federal Firearms Offenses Faces Up To 20 Years In Prison

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced that on Jan. 30, 2024, a federal jury returned two guilty verdicts against Walter Palmon Eddings, 40, of Albuquerque, after approximately two hours of deliberation.

The jury convicted Eddings of two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Judge Kea W. Riggs presided.

A federal grand jury issued an indictment against Eddings on Feb. 24, 2022. According to evidence presented Read More

State Supreme Court Orders New Trial In Eviction Case

NMSC News:

SANTA FE — The Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court must create a record of all civil proceedings when the law designates it as a “court of record” rather than doing so only upon the request of a litigant, the New Mexico Supreme Court has ruled.

The justices unanimously concluded that certain Metropolitan Court practices “impermissibly conflict” with state law because its procedural rules required the parties to ask for the creation of a record, otherwise no record was made.

The record, such as an audio recording or transcript, preserves the facts and evidence presented during a Read More

‘Affirmative Consent’ Bill Passes House, Heads To Senate

Rep. Liz Thomson

By NATHAN BROWN
The Santa Fe New Mexican

A bill requiring state-funded colleges and universities to adopt “trauma-informed policies and … responses” in investigating sexual assault and domestic violence allegations is headed to the state Senate.

The House voted 44-17 a little after 3 a.m. Sunday to pass House Bill 151, with all the Democrats present in favor and the Republicans split. Sponsored by Rep. Liz Thomson, D-Albuquerque and several other Democrats, it would require all such sexual assault and violence policies to include an “affirmative consent standard” Read More

Robinson: Advocates – Child Welfare Crisis Is Not A Priority

By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2024 New Mexico News Services

It was a rough week for CYFD. Already in the hot seat before exasperated legislators, the Children, Youth and Families Department was in the public eye again.

Two experts on child welfare reform blasted the department for crushing caseloads and a backlog of more than 2,000 investigations of abuse and neglect. In a letter to agency officials, obtained by The New Mexican, they demanded that the state take immediate action to remedy turnover and severe understaffing.

“(T)he agency must begin acting like there is in fact a crisis that Read More