Mescalero Woman Margaret J. Cojo Charged Nearly Two Years After Hoax Bomb Threat at Alamogordo’s Southwest Heritage Bank; Same Suspect Faces Ruidoso High School Case

Alamogordo, NM – April 1, 2026 – The Alamogordo Police Department announced today that a suspect has been identified and charged in connection with the August 15, 2024, hoax bomb threat that forced the evacuation of Southwest Heritage Bank and mobilized multiple law enforcement and emergency agencies across Otero County.

According to the official update released by APD, an extensive investigation involving search warrants served on cell phone providers led to the identification of Margaret J. Cojo, 42, of Mescalero. Cojo has been charged with Making a Bomb Threat, a fourth-degree felony. She was summoned to Magistrate Court to face the charge.

The incident occurred on Thursday, August 15, 2024, at approximately 1:09 p.m., when APD received a report of two men on the second floor of the bank at 500 East 10th Street (formerly known as Bank 34) who were allegedly armed with a bomb. The building was promptly evacuated as a precaution. A multi-agency response included the Alamogordo Police Department, Otero County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police, U.S. Border Patrol, District Attorney’s Investigators, AMR, Otero County Emergency Services, Alamogordo Fire Department, and Tularosa Basin Regional Dispatch Authority. No suspects or explosive devices were located, and the preliminary investigation quickly determined the threat was a hoax.

APD’s persistent follow-up investigation ultimately linked Cojo to the 2024 call through cell phone records.

This is not Cojo’s first encounter with law enforcement for a similar offense. She is currently awaiting trial on an identical charge filed by the Ruidoso Police Department. On March 4, 2025, a hoax bomb threat was called into Ruidoso High School, prompting an immediate lockdown and evacuation of students, faculty, and staff to the Ruidoso Convention Center. No one was injured, and the threat was later confirmed as a hoax. Cojo was arrested by Ruidoso officers on April 25, 2025.

Both incidents disrupted community operations—one affecting a local financial institution and the other a public school—but neither resulted in physical harm or the discovery of actual explosives.

The Alamogordo Police Department stated that no additional information is being released at this time to protect the integrity of the ongoing judicial process. Further details on court dates and proceedings will be made available as they develop.

2nd Life Media / Alamogordo Town News will continue to monitor both cases and provide updates as official information becomes available. Hoax threats of this nature carry serious consequences under New Mexico law and strain public safety resources that could otherwise be directed toward real emergencies.

For official updates, contact:

Alamogordo Police Department – (575) 439-4300

Ruidoso Police Department (for the related case)

Sources: Official APD news releases (August 15, 2024, and April 1, 2026), 2nd Life Media archives

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