Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. APS board begrudgingly approves one charter school, denies another. He held manyprominent positions to help in this effort, such aspresident of the Arizona Cattle Growers Association and Phoenix fraternal associations, according to Arizona Fraternal Order of Police. According to the lawsuit, Aquino gave his case file to the state Attorney Generals Office in late May 2019 after telling Lujan and other supervisors what hed found. They had my arms. Serving from 1939 to 1944, Lon Jordan was a popular sheriff in the three terms he served, according toArizona Fraternal Order of Police. It wasn't until there was a major divide in voters due to Arpaio's stance on immigration that he lost the election. He also worked at Globe Police after Superior and then transferred to Miami Police, where he shot someone in a controversial case last year. A Public Service of Santa Fe Community College, PublishedFebruary 18, 2022 at 9:04 AM MST. Former Rio Arriba County sheriffs Deputy Joseph Aquino has filed a whistleblower lawsuit that claims he was fired on a trumped-up charge of excessive use of force after uncovering wrongdoing by well-connected county officials and employees. Despite efforts by the defense to convince jurors that Lujan didnt know that Chacon would be charged with fleeing Espaola police, or that he was concerned for public safety following a high-speed chase, the jury found him guilty on both counts. Lujan has another trial scheduled to begin July 26. The District Attorney told KRQE News 13 that it was her understanding that Lujan resigned Wednesday a few hours after his conviction. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. 7 were here. Investigators say Lujan also told his own deputies not to tell anyone about it and he could face even more charges. The prosecutor broached the idea of moving the cases to another judicial district, in San Juan or Doa Ana County, for example, but both Biedscheid and McGarry Ellenwood elected to keep the cases in the First Judicial District, which includes Rio Arriba, Santa Fe and Los Alamos counties. ESPAOLA - Attorneys have taken an initial step toward suing the Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office, which is accused of retaliating against a journalist as she reported on use of force at a . In this time, he opened a new jail on top of the First Avenue Courthouse, according toArizona Fraternal Order of Police. Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan and his attorneys walk out of the courtroom in Tierra Amarilla for the lunch break on the first day of his trial. The investigative body will be empaneled for . There was nothing I could do.. The earliest many Arizona counties began keeping Brady lists was around 20 years ago. One of the officers who assisted in the search of the car and Manriquezs home was Bryan Lawrence. I do not discuss anything in pending litigation, Lujan said when reached by phone Thursday. Property Records Search. If it is retried, he believes his client will be acquitted because the charges arent valid. One of the officers pursuing him, Martin Sosa, has his own similar criminal history. As of Monday, however, the spokesperson said Navarrette returned to regular duty. Meanwhile, this is the second Rio Arriba County sheriff to be sent to prison in recent years. Attempts to contact Terrance Garcia were unsuccessful. Prosecutor Reeb told the jury that Lattin didnt immediately tell anyone because he was afraid the sheriff would fire him if he did. There are twice as many people living in poverty in Rio Arriba County as in Santa Fe County, Bowles added. He was, however, elected the following yearfor the 1926-27 term. Still, he was repeatedly elected. Dec. 3State District Judge Kathleen McGarry Ellenwood sentenced former Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan to three years in prison followed by a year and a half of probation Thursday, a day after a Santa Fe jury convicted him of two felony charges after he helped a man avoid arrest and then directed a deputy not to tell anyone. Attorneys on both sides in the trial of Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan said a lot of bad apples were involved in the incident that led to his arrest in March 2017 but who exactly those bad apples are depends on who was asked. MORE:Sheriff Carl Hayden led pursuit of Tempe teens intrain robbery. He believes the entire department needs to be shut down with the towns law enforcement responsibilities taken over by the county sheriff. Thats what a jury decided Wednesday after less than four hours of deliberations. Bowles brought up Lattins past disciplinary actions for lying to fellow police officers about his military experience. Manriquez, whos in his mid-50s and is a disabled 120-pound man, was hospitalized after police raided his home and allegedly beat him. You dont think its gonna put mine at risk if I dont do this? the officer replied. I thought I was going to go in there, get my friend, and I was going to leave, he said. That's just wrong. IE 11 is not supported. Rio Arriba County Sheriff Thomas Rodella, sitting in the defendant's chair rather than on the side of the law, and his family were visibly upset when jurors . This Rio Arriba County New Mexico Most Wanted List posts the top 50-100 fugitive criminals on the run. However, none of the officers claimed to have their body cameras rolling, despite recording hours of footage leading up to the search and immediately recording video after hes placed into handcuffs. He is also accused of three counts of resisting, obstructing or evading an officer in a related case pertaining to his arrest in the first case for failing to unlock a cellphone for police to review. A state grand jury will begin hearing evidence in its investigation of the North Central Solid Waste Authority on April 24, following decades of allegations of financial and operational mismanagement, predatory collections practices and, more recently, the death of an employee, court records show. Penzone has said he will push for more transparency and to refocus the agency on law enforcement. The road to those decisions was rocky. Former Rio Arriba County sheriff James Lujan pleaded guilty De c. 29 to the misdemeanor counts of obstruction he was facing and will serve 364 days concurrently with his current sentence. Lujan resigned earlier this month after his conviction. Both cases against Lujan involve former Espaola City Councilor Phillip Chacon. His attorney told the Rio Grande Sun in 2019 that Aquino, who is from Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, was treated differently than other officers because he is Native American. According to reporting done by the Albuquerque Journal, Trujillo had been charged with aggravated assault on a peace officer for an incident that occurred on May 21, 2020. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. How much have you had to drink tonight? the officer asked. The people of Rio Arriba County elected you to be sheriff. Lujans attorney, Jason Bowles, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday. According to personnel records obtained by ABC15, Ensley has worked in at least six Arizona police departments, either failing to meet standards, resigning under investigation, or getting fired for dishonesty. Records show, he was previously fired from the Yavapai County Sheriffs Office for lying to a supervisor. 2023 www.azcentral.com. This case was one of the most interesting cases Ive been involved with based on the amount of political influence Lujan holds in the county, and the bias that created, but in the end, truth and honesty prevailed.. During his time in office, Blubaum made controversial moves as he did not hire many compensated deputies during his term. Choose wisely! Behind the wheel?" Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. In addition, just one day before early voting began, he was hit withcriminal contempt-of-court chargesdue to disobeying a federal judges order to stop enforcing civil immigration laws. Although he is most remembered for his 56 years in Congress, Carl Hayden served as the last territorial sheriff from 1907 to 1912. One of his top accomplishments is building the first Phoenix jail with incandescent lamps. Hill established psychiatric units in jails, as well as built the Towers Jail and the Bell/Dysart Substation and jail. KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. Aquino says in his complaint Lujan originally acted as if his altercation with Vigil was no big deal but later opened an internal affairs investigation and encouraged New Mexico State Police to pursue charges against him after he gave a case file containing allegations of wrongdoing by Lujan and other county officials to the state Attorney Generals Office. Voting Rights Bill Draws Mixed Opinions at Legislative Hearing, Biden Appoints MLG to Council of Governors, Bill Banning the Sale of Assault Weapons Passes Through First Committee, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. 162 Tierra Amarilla, NM 87575 Phone: (575) 588-7254 Fax (575) 588-7810 Rio Arriba County Annex Building: 1122 Industrial Park Road Espaola, NM 87532 Phone: (505) 753-2992 Fax: (505) 753-9397 Tierra Amarilla, NM 24 1:05 am MST Clear Get this widget Espaola, NM 25 1:05 am MST Mostly clear Get this widget The incident led to Aquino losing his job, but he claims he was fired for exposing wrongdoing among county employees. Commissioners dont get involved in the day-to-day operations of the county. Albuquerque Talent Development Academy while Albuquerque Talent Development Academy while turning down that of another, El Camino Real Academy. You couldnt f------ give me the opportunity to park the car," he said. Reeb also argued heavy media coverage of the trial made it difficult to find jurors without knowledge of the allegations against Lujan. In the case Reeb has said she intends to retry after jurors deadlocked 8-4 in favor of acquittal, Lujan faces felony charges of bribing or threatening a witness and harboring a felon during an incident in 2017, in which he is accused of helping Chacon evade police officers Chacon had led on a high-speed chase. His trial is set for March of next year. Bowles has filed a brief asking Biedscheid to draw jurors from both Rio Arriba and Santa Fe counties. Napoleon Garcia, who said he is not related to Montoya, added he knew about the incident with Montoyas vehicle, but he didnt try to cover it up, and in fact placed Montoya on unpaid leave over the incident. However, a new jail was built, and the conflict was resolved. The case will now be assigned to District Court and will be scheduled for an arraignment. For months, prosecutors threatened a lengthy sentence if he didnt plead guilty and agree to a deal of six-month sentence. Starr Daley was hanged at the scene of the crimes he was accused of:murdering a man and kidnapping and raping the man's wife. Aquino had a long history of disciplinary actions being taken against him at the Rio Arriba Sheriffs Office, including a citizen complaint of harassment during a traffic stop, an unsafe high speed pursuit, and a DWI arrest and a domestic violence incident while off-duty. Roy Merrill's time in office was brief, from just 1937 to 1938. Officer Ensley and a reserve officer found Maughn at a gas station the next day. When the ASU officer confronted the off-duty deputy about driving under the influence, video obtained by NBC affiliate KPNX showed Navarrette admitting that he was, saying, "Yeah, but I'm also a police officer.". The county agreed to pay $75,000 to settle the lawsuit in December, according to Rio Arriba County Attorney Adn Trujillo. The legal limit in Arizona is 0.08. There, Navarrette asked the officer why he didn't give him a pass, according to the footage. Want more news like this? Newly obtained body camera video captured an Arizona sheriff's deputy using a racial slur and pleading to be let off the hook after an officer pulled him over in December on . During his first term he created the "Urgency Fund," which eliminated the delays of deputies being refunded for work expenses. Your real name will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more! In that case, he is facing three counts of resisting, obstructing or evading an officer stemming from an incident in March 2020. Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan was sentenced on Thursday morning after being convicted of aiding a felon and intimidating a witness. New York? Retired Phoenix police Sgt. Multiple people in the community echoed Saucedos feelings that justice had been served in this instance, as did Reeb. 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