Pecos woman charged with pointing gun at deputies
A Pecos woman has been charged with pointing a gun at two San Miguel County Sheriff’s deputies following a traffic stop earlier this month.
Catalina A. Quintana, 24, was booked into San Miguel County Detention Center on Aug. 2, charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer with a deadly weapon, and felony possession of a controlled substance.
Sheriff’s deputies pulled the driver of a car over for failing to use a turn signal as he turned into the NMDOT Park & Ride lot on State Road 63 near Rowe.
According to a statement of probable cause filed in San Miguel Magistrate Court, while one deputy spoke with the driver, a second deputy focused on Quintana because she was moving around a lot and the deputy suspected she was attempting to hide something. When the deputy walked closer to see what she was doing, he spotted a black handgun in Quintana’s right hand, and according to police, the barrel was pointed toward deputies.
At least one deputy drew his service weapon and commanded Quintana drop the firearm. Police say after three commands to drop the gun, Quintana handed it to the driver of the car who then handed it to a deputy.
Both the driver and Quintana were detained while police investigated.
Deputies requested to search the vehicle, but the driver did not grant permission. Police sealed the car off with evidence tape and filed a warrant to search the vehicle.
The gun was entered into evidence, identified as a .40-caliber Springfield pistol with a magazine containing three hollow point rounds.
The driver was issued a traffic citation and released. Quintana was arrested and taken to SMCDC.
When the search warrant was served on the car, police located a small amount of powder that tested positive as heroin, along with paraphernalia used to smoke heroin, near the passenger seat where Quintana had been seated. Police also located nine cellphones in the vehicle.
Quintana was released from SMCDC on Aug. 8 on an unsecured bond.
She is also awaiting trial in a misdemeanor case from July where police allege she stole items from a store in Pecos, while accompanied by the same man that had been driving the car during the Aug. 2 traffic stop. Quintana was arrested and charged with shoplifting; the man was released.
Quintana is scheduled to appear in San Miguel Magistrate Court on Aug. 29 for the shoplifting case, and Sept. 12 to be arraigned on her latest charges.
