Man arrested for using heroin in laundromat

Saturday evening, Aug. 24, LVPD was called to a laundromat near Mills Ave. and Hot Springs Blvd. Witnesses told police the man had been in the bathroom for more than 30 minutes, and that a burning smell was coming from the room.

Police got the man to open the door and identified him as Pete Castillo, 30, of Las Vegas.

According to a statement of probable cause filed in San Miguel Magistrate Court, Castillo was “irate” as he exited the bathroom and was yelling at others in the laundromat. When asked if he had any weapons, Castillo said he had two knives.

Police detained Castillo, and while removing the knives from Castillo’s pockets, officers found residue of a substance that tested positive as heroin. Police arrested Castillo, and, according to court documents, Castillo fought with officers as they attempted to place him into a police car.

Castillo was booked into the San Miguel County Detention Center, charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor disorderly conduct. He also had an active warrant out for his arrest for failing to pay $275 in court-ordered fines and fees from a June 2018 misdemeanor case.

Just five days prior, Castillo appeared in the Fourth Judicial District Court where he accepted a plea agreement, pleading guilty to stealing his father’s truck in a case from December 2018. He was placed on an 18-month supervised probation as a condition of the agreement.

Castillo has a lengthy criminal history in New Mexico dating back to 2009 when he pleaded guilty to aggravated DWI.

In August 2013, he was again convicted of DWI, and in January 2014, he was convicted of a third DWI.

Bond for his latest arrest was set at $3,000 at a hearing on Monday, but Castillo was ordered to be held in jail for the warrant, and he remained in custody at SMCDC as of this writing.

Castillo’s conditions of release will be reviewed by the court on Thursday, and he is due in court again at 10 a.m. Sept. 5.