Six arrested during ‘warrant roundup’
Six people were arrested during a multi-agency operation spearheaded by the Fourth Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Led by the investigations unit of the DA’s office, the “warrant roundup” sought to apprehend 30 people identified by the DA as having unserved arrest warrants. Six people were located and taken into custody Thursday.
“We had a 20 percent success rate, which is not unusual,” said District Attorney Tom Clayton. “We’re looking at the most serious offenses first, but we include anybody that we can find.”
Clayton said the search will continue for those not arrested in this roundup.
The warrant roundup was a collaboration with officers and agents from the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office, Mora County Sheriff’s Office, Las Vegas Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
In searching for those with unserved warrants, investigators visited about 70 addresses in San Miguel and Mora counties, according to Clayton.
“Thankfully, nobody got hurt, and there weren’t any incidents that caused any concern,” Clayton said. “We’re going to have these warrant roundups a little more frequently, try to clear up some of these warrants and bring these individuals to the court.”
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Those arrested during Thursday’s operation were:
Alejandro Vigil, 19
Vigil was sought on a warrant for aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon following a July 18 incident where New Mexico State Police responded to Alta Vista Regional Hospital to speak to a man with injuries to his head. The man told police he was attempting to tow a vehicle on the side of the road in Mora when Vigil kicked him in the face and hit him in the head with a rock, according to an affidavit filed in Mora Magistrate Court.
Vigil was booked into the San Miguel County Detention Center July 22. During a July 23 hearing in Mora Magistrate Court, Judge Cindy Garza set bond for Vigil at $10,000. Vigil remained in custody as of this writing.
Guillermo C. Vazquez, 40
Vazquez (spelled Vasquez in some court documents) was sought on charges of felony possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor resisting arrest and driving while license revoked. Las Vegas police attempted to pull over a vehicle driven by Vazquez on June 20, but instead of pulling over, he drove to a home on Valencia Street, parked in the driveway and fled on foot, according to an affidavit filed in San Miguel Magistrate Court.
During a search of the vehicle, police located 5.6 grams of crack cocaine on the floor of the driver’s side of the vehicle. Police were not able to locate Vazquez and a warrant for his arrest was issued.
Vazquez was arrested July 22 as part of the round up and booked into SMCDC. During a July 23 hearing, Judge Melanie Rivera set bond for Vazquez at $5,000. He remained in custody as of this writing and is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 3 for a preliminary hearing.
Arcy R. Lopez, 49
Lopez was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly threatening a man in Pecos with a handgun on April 30. The charges were filed in May after a man said Lopez pointed a gun at him and threatened to kill him. A .22-caliber pistol was in the glovebox of the car Lopez was driving.
Lopez failed to appear for a July 13 preliminary hearing and a warrant was issued. He was arrested July 22 and booked into SMCDC. During a July 23 hearing, Judge Melanie Rivera issued a $10,000 unsecured bond for Lopez and he was released. He is scheduled to appear in Magistrate Court Aug. 10 for a preliminary hearing.
Elijah Bachicha, 19
Bachicha was wanted on charges of false imprisonment and misdemeanor harassment and battery of a household member. The charges were filed after police responded to a home in Pecos in December of 2020. A woman identified as Bachicha’s ex-girlfriend told police he’d been calling her repeatedly and had created fake social media accounts in an attempt to contact her prior to showing up at her home and wrapping his arms around her, not letting her leave.
Bachicha was booked into SMCDC July 22. During a July 23 hearing, Judge Rivera set bond for Bachicha at $5,000 unsecured, citing strong ties to the area and no other criminal history. He was released later that day and placed on house arrest. He is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 31 for a preliminary hearing.
Alexander M. Lara, 42
Lara was arrested on a probation violation from a case where he was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to Clayton. Lara is currently not facing new charges, but Clayton said the state’s Probation and Parole division had notified the DA’s office of a probation violation.
Lara was initially arrested in October of 2020 after he was found in possession of a .22-caliber rifle during a traffic stop in Mora County. He accepted a plea agreement Feb. 4, pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon as part of a plea agreement that gave Lara three years of probation supervision. He remained in custody as of this writing.
John J. Roybal, 52
Roybal was sought on a charge of battery of a household member after Las Vegas police responded to a home in Las Vegas on July 2 after Roybal’s ex-wife told police Roybal grabbed her by the hair and hit her.
Roybal was arrested July 22 and booked into SMCDC. During a July 23 hearing, Judge Rivera issued a $5,000 unsecured bond, and he was released on house arrest. No new court dates had been scheduled as of this writing.
