DA Flores won’t seek re-election

“After four terms, and about 16 years in this position, I just thought it was time to hand over the reigns to someone else,” Flores said. “My gut is telling me that it’s time to move on and do something different.”

Flores said he believes his office has accomplished many things during his time as DA.

“We’ve opened over 30,000 cases during my tenure, with slightly over an 80 percent conviction rate,” Flores said. “It’s something that I’m very proud of.”

According to Flores, his office has prosecuted more than 4,000 DWI cases, more than 3,000 domestic violence cases and approximately 92 homicide cases.

“One of the other things I’m most proud of is my relationships with the federal (Department of Justice),” Flores said. “In 2012, I coordinated with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal (authorities) to conduct what they were calling the ‘Smack City Operation,’ and as a result of that operation, we charged 25 defendants within our community for primarily heroin and crack cocaine trafficking.”

More recently, Flores points to his office’s efforts to aid the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration with an operation aimed at disrupting drug trafficking operations in the area.

Flores said he’s handled lots of important cases, but one of the most memorable was the conviction of Joseph “Wicked” Montoya, who, in October 2014, was found guilty of second-degree murder, arson, robbery and other charges in the May 18, 2013 murder of Angel Arroyo. Montoya was ultimately sentenced to 104.5 years.

The convictions of Jose Encinias and his wife Denise Encinias also stand out, Flores said. The couple owned a Las Vegas boarding home where two residents living in a shed died from carbon monoxide poisoning. In 2016, both Jose and Denise Encinias were sentenced to 15 years in prison, with five years of the sentence suspended, meaning it would be served on probation.

“What I’m proud of in that case is that we exposed some of the deficiencies in boarding home regulations,” Flores said. “It caught the eye of the governor and several people that are now working on possible new regulations regarding boarding homes.”

Flores said he’s also proud of the case against Charles Trujillo, a former school superintendent who forged his credentials to get jobs with both the Pecos and Mora school districts.

“We charged him, and we held him accountable,” Flores said.

Trujillo accepted a plea agreement in July 2018. The terms of the agreement prevent him from serving time in prison, and provided that he complies with the agreement, the charges against him will be removed from his record.

“I’m proud to say that I have no regrets for how we’ve run the office,” Flores said. “We’ve tackled numerous challenges and overcome several obstacles, but in each and every case, we’ve let our ethics and morals guide us in the pursuit of justice.”

Two candidates have announced plans to run for the post Flores will vacate at the end of this term: current Deputy District Attorney Tom Clayton, and public defender and attorney Brett Phelps.

Flores said he’s not sure what he’s going to do next, but he said he won’t be retiring just yet.

“I’m going to let God guide me, and I’m sure He has something in store for me,” Flores said. “I’m just truly grateful for having been given the opportunity to serve the public as district attorney for the last 16 years.”