From the Las Vegas Optic One of 12 people charged with drug trafficking offenses following raids by federal agents in the summer of 2019 has been sentenced. The federal sentencing allows for Marcos R. Ruiz to go on trial for murder in Las Vegas. During a March 23 hearing in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque,…
From the Las Vegas Optic A Las Vegas woman was charged last week with two counts of felony drug possession stemming from an investigation that began in mid-March. Officers with the Las Vegas Police Department stopped an SUV driven by 37-year-old Natalie Otero in the 600 block of Socorro Street on March 16. During a…
From the Las Vegas Optic A man and a woman were released from the San Miguel County Detention Center just days before prosecutors filed new charges against them, records show. Police are now searching for the duo, accusing one of them of trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin. Officers with the Las Vegas Police Department arrested…
From the Las Vegas Optic The man accused of killing 71-year-old William “Skip” Smith Jr. in the summer of 2019 is facing new charges. Police allege 42-year-old Seig Isaac Chavez (who’s listed as Isaac Seig Chavez in some court documents) hid two weapons and other contraband in his jail cell at the San Miguel County…
From the Las Vegas Optic As New Mexicans 21 or older step into retail shops to legally purchase cannabis for recreational use, tens of thousands of people in the state still have cannabis-related convictions on their records. That’s set to change, though. In April of last year, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham enacted new laws that…
From the Las Vegas Optic A corrections officer with the San Miguel County Detention Center is accused of accepting cash bribes in exchange for bringing packages containing narcotics to jail inmates. Investigators with the Region IV Narcotics Task Force allege that 31-year-old Joseph M. Sena III, used his position as a corrections officer to bring…
From the Las Vegas Optic A former Las Vegas City Schools teacher and volleyball coach filed a lawsuit last week alleging she was retaliated against and wrongfully terminated after she raised concerns of allegations of harassment of girls by the district’s male coaches. In the lawsuit — filed under New Mexico’s Whistleblower Protection Act —…
From the Las Vegas Optic One of the two men accused of shooting and killing 16-year-old Adelina Tafoya in July 2020 pleaded guilty Monday to multiple felonies as part of a plea agreement. Roger Tait-Gomez, 31, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder during a virtual appearance in District…
From the Las Vegas Optic A Watrous man is facing child abuse charges for allegedly grabbing, biting and throwing one of his children, according to arrest documents filed in court. Las Vegas police responded to the allegations around 4 p.m. on March 9 during a planned exchange between the mother and father. When the child…
From the Las Vegas Optic A Las Vegas man wanted on child abuse and escape charges was arrested Saturday following a traffic stop. A passenger was also arrested, charged with aiding a felon. Police had been searching for 31-year-old Michael A.P. Morse since a warrant was issued for his arrest in December. He’s accused of…
