Man faces charges for firing shots at neighbor’s house
A Pecos man fired multiple shots outside a neighbor’s home after his request to use the bathroom was denied, according to a criminal complaint filed in San Miguel Magistrate Court.
Maurice L. Hilborn, 72, of Pecos, was booked into the San Miguel County Detention Center early Monday morning after being charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, felony tampering with evidence and misdemeanor negligent use of a deadly weapon.
According to the criminal complaint, on the evening of Oct. 6, someone called New Mexico State Police to report that a man attempted to break-in to their home, and then fired three to four shots outside the home on Monica Lane in Pecos.
A responding officer found a man standing near the home where shots had been reported. Police were later able to identify him as Hilborn, but Hilborn would only say his name was Moses.
Hilborn told police he was looking for his wife, and that he needed to urinate because he had gout.
The man who’d called police confirmed to officers that Hilborn had said he was looking for his wife, and that he’d asked to use the bathroom. The man said that after refusing to let Hilborn into his home, Hilborn said he was going to come in anyway, and that he made a motion like he was reaching for a gun, according to the criminal complaint.
The man locked his door and laid down on the floor just before hearing several gunshots.
During a search of Hilborn, police located an ammunition magazine in his pocket, but Hilborn denied having a gun. An officer asked why he would have a magazine without a gun, and Hilborn eventually admitted to having a gun, saying he tossed it near his car, which was parked down the street.
Hilborn also admitted to firing the gun, but he told police it was an accident. An officer asked how he fired four shots accidentally, but Hilborn did not answer.
Police didn’t find a gun where Hilborn said he’d tossed it, but an officer did locate a gun near the porch of the home, along with one fired shell casing.
According to police, as an officer arrested Hilborn, he began “flopping around,” acting like he was unable to stand. The officer called for an ambulance, but Hilborn refused to go to the hospital.
Police located Hilborn’s wife at the couple’s home. She told police that she’d spoken to her husband just prior to the incident, and that there was no reason for him to be looking for her. She said his brother had recently passed away, and that he’d been acting “strange” ever since. She also said she was worried because “he has a lot of other weapons” at home, which she told police she would take to a relative’s home.
Hilborn appeared in San Miguel Magistrate Court on Monday. As of this writing, no further court dates had been scheduled, and he remained in custody at SMCDC.
