But local journalists still have to eat. When Clint Peterson walked into the Superior Police Department, he had no idea what was coming. Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan, who replaced a sheriff convicted in a road-rage case, is now the target of a new investigation himself. McGarry Ellenwood said Friday jurors in the case she's handling will be selected only from Santa Fe County. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. Want more news like this? 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.. Reeb's motions to move the cases out of Rio Arriba said jurors polled after the mistrial felt uncomfortable deliberating in the Tierra Amarilla courthouse, where numerous sheriff's deputies who report to Lujan were providing security. Less than a day after closing arguments were completed, 1st Judicial District Judge Kathleen McGarry declared a mistrial Friday in the trial of Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan. He is still in federal prison for his crimes. 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. Albuquerque Talent Development Academy while Albuquerque Talent Development Academy while turning down that of another, El Camino Real Academy. The case of "trunk murderess" Winnie Ruth Juddwas the major media case during his time in office, as well as the Depression-era labor riots. KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. 7 were here. You may remember video back in March when Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan. The verdict was handed down in the mid-afternoon following his second trial for harboring a felon and intimidation of a witness. These charges stemmed from Lujans attempts to assist former Espaola City Councilor Phillip Chacon when he took over a crime scene at Chacons home in 2020 and also helped him in avoiding police by leading them on a high speed chase in 2017. He was sheriff from 1889 to 1890, according to Arizona Fraternal Order of Police. This time, Penzone beat Arpaio by more than 10 percentage points, aided by a Republican base divided over Arpaio's aggressive immigration stance, his legal troubles and how much lawsuits against the longtime sheriff havecost taxpayers. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. Attempts to contact Terrance Garcia were unsuccessful. However, defense attorney Jason Bowles said that Lujan isnt a bad apple but that former Espaola police officer Cody Lattin is. The use of force on Manriquez wasnt clearly documented in any of Superiors department reports. From 1929 to 1930, Charles Wright served. Espaola Police arrested Rio Arriba County Undersheriff Martin Trujillo Friday afternoon, after he was charged with criminal solicitation to commit assisting in assault upon a peace officer. You couldnt f------ give me the opportunity to park the car," he said. Another flaw is a lack of mandatory outside reporting. Reeb said earlier this month it was while investigating this misdemeanor case in which Lujan showed up drunk at Chacons house as police were executing a search warrant and tried to take charge that she discovered the information used to convict Lujan in the felony case. 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. She thought it was "utterly inappropriate" for Lujan's supporters to hold a barbecue on court grounds during his trial without discussing it with her, she added. Pinal County Sheriff's Deputy Julian Navarrette is the subject of an internal investigation after he was arrested for DUI in Tempe in December, 2020. This was the same day Lattin testified at Lujans preliminary hearing. Lattin was one of the officers who pursued Chacon during the chase. 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.". Rio Arriba County Seat: 149 State Rd. Many, if not most should be considered armed and dangerous. There was nothing I could do.. Contact ABC15 Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@ABC15.com. Known for his harsh form of justice, Thomas Warden served from 1871 to 1872. One flaw is there is no official statewide repository of Brady list officers or uniform standards. 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. During that time, he wasacquitted of bribery and conspiracy chargestiedto countywide gambling and political corruption problems, according toArizona Fraternal Order of Police. 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 Aquino talked to county Public Works Administrator Napoleon Garcia and County Manager Campos about Montoya, his complaint says, and they told him Montoya would be cleared of any wrongdoing despite evidence showing wrongdoing by Montoya.. 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. Published December 2nd, 2021 at 9:02 am, Last Updated December 2nd, 2021 at 4:53 pm. MORE:Sheriff Carl Hayden led pursuit of Tempe teens intrain robbery. The Superior Police Department has faced lawsuits for excessive force, civil rights violations, and other misconduct. There, Navarrette asked the officer why he didn't give him a pass, according to the footage. 2023 www.azcentral.com. 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. Dont put my f------ career at risk.. During his investigation, Aquino says in his complaint, county employees complained to him about other unapproved self-endowment of County benefits by county employees.. Contests and special offers from The Santa Fe New Mexican and advertising partners. The Sheriff's Posse was nationally recognized during Hill's time, and President Ronald Regan visited Sun City Posse Headquarters during this time. According to Clays affidavit, Lujan later told her: We are going to send [Aquino] to anger management class and use of force training., Romero said in an affidavit dated Aug. 6, 2020, that Terrance Garcia at the time, a police officer in Cuba threatened to retaliate against him to prevent him from sharing damaging information Garcia had shared about his family and officials in Rio Arriba County regarding a scheme to frame Mr. Aquino., Romeros affidavit says Garcia said the plot against Aquino was related to his investigation of embezzlement and misuse of County property., The affidavit also says that after Aquino applied for a job with Cuba police, Garcia tried to sway him against hiring Aquino by bragging about his familys political pull in Rio Arriba County.. Sheriff Lujan believes hes above the law, Special Prosecutor Andrea Reeb said during her opening statement, and the jury agreed. Andrew Moore followed in his father's footsteps when he became sheriff, as his father was the sheriff ofYavapai County. His farm was located between Seventh and 23rd avenues on the south side of what we now call Broadway Road, according to Arizona Fraternal Order of Police. Its a chaotic scene thats easier to understand by watching. But 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. 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. A spokesperson for the Pinal County Sheriff's Office told KPNX that Navarrette was initially placed on modified duty. "America's Toughest Sheriff" was dethroned in the 2016 election by Paul Penzone, and ended his 24 years in office, the longest run of any sheriff in Maricopa County. The incident began when he came to the station to pick up a friend, named Aaron Maughn, who had been arrested hours earlier for drinking in public. Espaola Police arrested Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan on Thursday after he refused to unlock and turn over his phone to responding officers. Wilson Wong is a culture and trends reporter for NBC News Digital. He founded the Sheriffs Peace Officers Police Training School, and afterinitially becoming deputy in 1930 he had served in every department by the time he was sheriff. Former Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan, already a convicted felon, pleaded no contest Wednesday to a charge accusing him of interfering with a March 2020 operation by Espaola police. They had my arms. Among his accomplishments were initiating the Maricopa Mounted Posse and sponsoring the first FBI training school in the Valley. One of his top accomplishments is building the first Phoenix jail with incandescent lamps. The earliest many Arizona counties began keeping Brady lists was around 20 years ago. His investigation revealed Montoya failed to report a crash that damaged his county-issued vehicle, electing instead to have it repaired at a private shop in Chimay though the repair bill was sent to the county, his lawsuit says. 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. 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. 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. Back in May, Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan was arrested after refusing to hand over his cell phone when Espaola Police, with the help of the Taos County Sheriff's Office,. I was basically guilty until I proved myself innocent, he said. He was also afarmer, surveyor, lawyer, district attorney, probate judge and postmaster. There was a problem saving your notification. Although he is most remembered for his 56 years in Congress, Carl Hayden served as the last territorial sheriff from 1907 to 1912. Reeb also argued heavy media coverage of the trial made it difficult to find jurors without knowledge of the allegations against Lujan. She called multiple witnesses during the case, including former Rio Arriba County deputies, and Espaola Police Department officers. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Lujan turned in his resignation following the verdict. This is the name that will be used to identify you within the system. You dont think its gonna put mine at risk if I dont do this? the officer replied. Normally, the undersheriff would take the lead in such a situation, but in this case, it remains unclear, as Undersheriff Martin Trujillo, a close friend of Lujans faces his own felony charges related to Lujans criminal troubles. 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 convicted him of pulling his gun. Aquinos lawsuit says he had worked at the department for six years before the incident, had never been accused of improper use of force and received a Medal of Valor from the department in 2018. She has been the only woman to be sheriff in Maricopa County. He achievements span from expandingposses in number and function, to using bloodhounds for searching. Rio Arriba County officials say an investigation . That trial is scheduled to begin July 26. 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. But should you turn them in? Property Records Search. What are we going through? Navarrette said in response. Email addresses are used solely for verification and to speed the verification process for repeat questioners. The charge is a fourth-degree felony and arose from the May 21 arrest of County Sheriff James Lujan. The proceeding in Tierra Amarilla concluded when the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. In 2004, Agnos was found dead, the cause being a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The officer then asked Navarrette to step out of his car after confirming he worked for the Pinal County Sheriff's Office. The case will now be assigned to District Court and will be scheduled for an arraignment. All rights reserved. Throughout his cross examination of Lattin, the first witness in the trial, Bowles pointed out inconsistencies in Lattins statement. He was the passenger in a car stopped for a cracked windshield, and officers found a small amount of marijuana and a pipe in the center console. Behind the wheel?" Trujillo faces up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. He attended the University of New Mexico, where he majored in multimedia journalism. "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. You have permission to edit this article. Finally his reign of power, control and corruption will end. During his time as sheriff from 1879 to 1880, Ruben Thomas conducted Maricopa County's onlylegal execution, according to Arizona Fraternal Order of Police. Rio Arriba County officials, including some of those named in the lawsuit, vehemently denied allegations in the suit and pointed to the events leading to Aquinos firing as justification for his dismissal. SANTA FE, N.M. 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