Retired Phoenix police Sgt. 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 . He said Lujan was just doing his job as a sheriff and Chacon was arrested the next day without incident. He also had pornography stashed on his work computer in a folder labeled Fun Time.. Can we let anybody else in the vehicle go through this?. 'I'm also a police officer': Arizona sheriff's deputy pleads for release after being pulled over for DUI. Thomas Barnum was the first elected sheriff; however, his time in office was short, serving from May 1871 to November 1871. He was, however, elected the following yearfor the 1926-27 term. For instance, Bowles read Lattins statement from the cases preliminary hearing, in which Lattin said he wasnt aware of Chacons charges the night of the incident. I thought I was going to go in there, get my friend, and I was going to leave, he said. Lujan was convicted in a December jury trail of felony counts of aiding a felon and intimidating a witness. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. The county agreed to pay $75,000 to settle the lawsuit in December, according to Rio Arriba County Attorney Adn Trujillo. The verdict was handed down in the mid-afternoon following his second trial for harboring a felon and intimidation of a witness. She said that after a chase of former Espaola city councilor Phillip Chacon whom Lujan is accused of harboring and aiding Espaola police officer Ernest Saucedo allegedly overheard a phone conversation between Lujan and another officer during which Lujan reportedly said, dont (expletive) tell anyone where were at or what were doing., Your email is safe with us, we dont spam. From 1881 to 1884 and from 1895 to 1898, Lindely Orme served four terms as Maricopa County sheriff, with 10 years between his second and third terms. 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. New Mexico and ABQ News, Sports, Business and more, By Isabella Alves / Journal Staff Writer Stay informed of the latest local news by receiving emails as soon as news is posted online. The charges, which were later dismissed by prosecutors, were based on false statements filed by a team of officers with histories of misconduct, dishonesty, and crimes. For months, prosecutors threatened a lengthy sentence if he didnt plead guilty and agree to a deal of six-month sentence. Efforts to reach Navarrette by phone Tuesday were unsuccessful. The legal limit in Arizona is 0.08. His staff includedone former and six future sheriffs, according toArizona Fraternal Order of Police. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. The use of force on Manriquez wasnt clearly documented in any of Superiors department reports. Tabitha Clay is an investigative journalist with a focus on criminal justice and policing. A man named Richard Manriquez is suing officers for a 2016 incident, alleging excessive force and an unlawful search of his home based on a false statements to obtain a warrant. They could move across town, to another county, even another state, and none of that information is necessarily going to be tracked.. After the ASU officer conducted a field sobriety test, Navarrette took a Breathalyzer test and blew a 0.121, the police report said. Many, if not most should be considered armed and dangerous. Manage the news you want to see, read exclusive content and explore other subscriber benefits. This Rio Arriba County New Mexico Most Wanted List posts the top 50-100 fugitive criminals on the run. He is charged in that case with three counts of resisting or obstructing an officer for refusing to turn over his cellphone to officers investigating the incident involving Chacon. During this time he considered sending juveniles toCoconino County and having female prisoners housed in Phoenix. Trujillo faces charges of Criminal Solicitation to Commit Aggravated Assault upon a Peace Officer with a deadly weapon after he allegedly ordered deputies to draw their guns at Espaola Police & Taos County Sheriffs Deputies as they served a search warrant for Lujans mobile phone in May 2020. District Attorney Andrea Reeb accused Lujan of abusing his authority, saying he loved the power of being the sheriff. There was a problem saving your notification. An ABC15 investigation found Superiors police force was filled with discredited cops, who were enabled by a broken Brady list system that let them escape lasting accountability and kept past transgressions hidden from disclosure. Sheriff James Lujan, current and former Rio Arriba County commissioners, County Manager Tomas Campos and other county employees are defendants in the lawsuit, in which Aquino seeks an unspecified amount in damages. In the case presided over by Biedscheid, the sheriff is charged with three misdemeanor counts of resisting, evading or obstructing an officer. As of Monday, however, the spokesperson said Navarrette returned to regular duty. Rio Arriba County Undersheriff Martin Ray Trujillo has agreed to retire at the end of the month, in exchange for a prosecutor dropping the felony charge he was facing. Navarrette said. The charges were filed after Lujan refused to comply with a search warrant to provide investigators access to his cell phone. We found at least 400 Brady-level matters never resulted in an official case before the state board. Click here to see full coverage. He was the first sheriff to complete his elected two-year term. His trial is set for March of next year. However, defense attorney Jason Bowles said that Lujan isnt a bad apple but that former Espaola police officer Cody Lattin is. According to online court records, Terrance Garcia filed an employment discrimination complaint in January, accusing Romero of sexually harassing him while he worked at the Cuba Police Department. Phaedra Haywood, The Santa Fe New Mexican, A woman threw a house party with 65 men she matched with on Tinder and Hinge and connected with the man she's been dating for a year. He is asking to be compensated for what the lawsuit said was harm to his reputation, which has made it impossible for him to find work in law enforcement since his July 2019 firing. "MANIA: The ABBA Tribute" is scheduled to play the KiMo Theatre on Sunday, March 5,, Albuquerque Talent Development Academy while turning down that of another, El Camino Real Academy., SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin was found not guilty. In that case, Lujan was found guilty of helping Chacon avoid being arrested following a high-speed chase through Espaola in March 2017 by picking up Chacon at his home after the pursuit and driving him away in a patrol vehicle. FULL DISCLOSURE: Arizona's broken "Brady List" system, If they dont know about it, then these officers are going to be certified even in the unlikely event they were to get fired, Keenan said. In depositions, his attorneys finally discovered which one of the officers repeatedly punched him during the raid. Lujan also resigned from his position following this conviction. 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 . IE 11 is not supported. The day after Aquino forwarded the case file to the Attorney Generals Office, the Rio Arriba County Sheriffs Office opened an internal affairs investigation into his altercation with Vigil, according to the lawsuit. After consulting with law enforcement officials in both Espaola and Taos, it was decided that Trujillos retirement would be a good way to resolve it.. By Wilson Wong. Not anymore. Andrea Rowley Reeb, the Clovis-area district attorney appointed by the state Attorney Generals Office as special prosecutor in the case, didnt immediately return phone calls from the Journal on Friday. Campos said Montoya didnt want to comment on the allegations. Sheriff at Rio Arriba Sheriffs Office Espanola, New Mexico, United States. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Lattin was previously disciplined and fired from the Taos Police Department for telling officers he served as an active-duty military member, but he never did. Under the terms of Lujans agreement with 9th Judicial District Attorney Andrea Reeb, a special prosecutor in the case, state District Judge Bryan Biedscheid sentenced Lujan to 364 days on the misdemeanor count of resisting, evading or obstructing an officer, Reeb confirmed after the hearing Wednesday. He was accused of showing up drunk at a crime scene at Chacon's home in Espaola in March 2020 and attempting to take over the operation from police. 9 Texas a B12 title, No. In March of last year, Lujan showed up drunk at a crime scene, again involving Phil Chacon, and refused to leave. Bowles brought up Lattins past disciplinary actions for lying to fellow police officers about his military experience. Superior police claimed he resisted arrest. Published December 2nd, 2021 at 9:02 am, Last Updated December 2nd, 2021 at 4:53 pm. The spokesperson declined to comment further, but said that "Deputy Navarrette is currently the subject of an internal investigation related to this incident, and as such we cannot discuss the case.". "No one reported it.". 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. This was the same day Lattin testified at Lujans preliminary hearing. A few months later, he died from natural causes,according toArizona Fraternal Order of Police. Former Rio Arriba County Sheriff's deputy Joseph Aquino gets into an altercation with George Vigil, an employee at Family Dollar in Chimay, in March 2019. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin was found not guilty Wednesday of a misdemeanor charge of failing to register House approves retail crime bill that could lead to Amid a recent rise in retail theft, a bill giving prosecutors the ability to charge individuals convicted of stealing large amounts of merchandise from I-40 westbound closed overnight in Gallup; storm headed to New Mexico is shutting down Interstate New Mexico is shutting down Interstate 40 westbound in Gallup in response to a winter storm in Arizona. The jury was split 8-4, with the majority believing Lujan was innocent on both counts, said defense attorney Jason Bowles. In 2004, Agnos was found dead, the cause being a self-inflicted gunshot wound. ESPAOLA, N.M. (KRQE) - A New Mexico sheriff arrested earlier this year is now facing even more charges. Girls high school basketball team forfeits a game because it refused to play against a team with a transgender player, Fox Leaders Wanted to Break From Trump but Struggled to Make It Happen, Not Going to Read That: White House Press Secretary Brushes Off DeSantis Op-Ed, Sunshine returns to SoCal on Thursday but cold temps stick around, Wake-Up Weather: AM showers then mild and breezy, Cooking Corner: Special recipes and foods for Black History Month, Amazon's Daisy Jones & the Six Is the Latest in a Long Line of Embarrassing Portraits of Musical Genius, Man in hospital after shooting in St. Denis neighborhood, police say. This contributed to Blubaum not being reelected for another term. Ernest Saucedo, a former Espanola Police Department officer involved in the high-speed chase and aftermath, testified during the trial corroborating much of the testimony given by former Rio Arriba deputy Cody Lattin. 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