12th Judicial District Fugitive Apprehension and Surveillance Team Nets 13 Arrests

The 12th Judicial District Fugitive Apprehension and Surveillance Team Nets 13 Arrests in a recent sweep. 

The 12th Judicial District Fugitive Apprehension and Surveillance Team is partially funded via the state of New Mexico Fugitive Apprehension Unit funding established through an executive order by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. The teams consist of state police officers local city and county law enforcement and members the New Mexico Corrections Department staff and investigators within the 12th Judicial district working in collaboration.

The Department of Public Safety secretary per the executive order of the governor can also request that municipal police officers and county sheriff’s deputies join as needed, according to the order, which specifies requisite authority must be obtained from those government agencies.

The New Mexico Administrative Office of the District Attorneys has identified more than 1,600 outstanding bench warrants for persons charged with violent crimes. A bench warrant is issued when someone charged with a crime fails to appear in court as ordered.

The unit is tasked with working with the various district attorney offices and at the local level locating and arresting those individuals charged with violent crimes who have failed to appear for judicial proceedings or have outstanding bench warrants.

Members will confer with local law enforcement and judiciary officials to identify qualifying individuals and subsequently use “all available resources,” per the order, to locate and arrest those persons.

The local level task force on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, included a collaborative effort of the Alamogordo Police Department, Otero County Sheriff's Office, New Mexico, Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, along with the White Mountain Drug Task Force, working on the most recent FAST (Fugitive Apprehension and Surveillance Team) operation whic made the 13 arrests.

In addition to the arrests, a stolen motorhome, drugs, and drug paraphernalia were seized.

Arrests included: 

Chad Brackett, Deandra Cordova, Anthony Duran, Trinity Jacks, Lorenzo Garcia, Joshua Gentt Jr., Anthony Holguin, Logan Jacobs, Kane Mayes, and Kelvin Ross for possession of a controlled substance.

Others charged include Nichols Penland failure to comply with probation terms. 

Jose Ortiz failure to update sex offender registry and 

Anthony Miranda failure to appear on a warrant of assault with a deadly weapon. 

The task force will conduct further roundups as the year progresses. Those arrested are assumed innocent until proven guilty in court and most are being held in the Otero County jail awaiting trial. 

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