Prosecutors on Wednesday formally dropped the case against a Costilla
County rancher accused of threatening several officials, based on their
belief that a jury would not convict him. Under the agreement, the 72-year-old man pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited weapon, a Class 2 misdemeanor offense. Judge Gonzales, in turn, placed Martinez on supervised probation for 18
months, and ordered him to write letters of apology to Costilla County
Sheriff’s Deputy Cruz Soto and former Deputy Celena Martinez. However, the judge declined to impose any jail time, as recommended by Deputy District Attorney Rob White. The case against Gene Martinez centered around an April 2012 water rights dispute.
Authorities alleged that he threatened a Sangre de Cristo Acequia
Association member, as well as Deputies Soto and Celena Martinez, by
pulling a gun on them.
Gene Martinez denies that claim, although he acknowledged on Wednesday that the incident was serious.
It was so serious that it led to an eight-hour standoff with law
enforcement officials, which ended only when SWAT team members and other
agency partners dispersed tear gas into the defendant’s cabin...more
Tom Olson, meet Gene Martinez. Hire him to patrol your ranches and your bison burglary problem will go away.
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