Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
This is the text of Quay County Sheriff Russell Shafer’s Facebook post on Aug. 6. The post was deleted Aug. 7.
“On December 25th 2017, Tucumcari Police made a traffic stop on a male individual by the name of Pablo Figueroa. Mr. Figueroa received a citation and continued on his way. In the late night hours of December 30th 2017, Mr. Figueroa was stopped once again on a call for a suspicious person, a vehicle driving in the immediate area was stopped due to the registration being suspended. When the Officer asked for his identification the driver he said he did not have a driver license but only an ID card. The Officer identified Pablo Figueroa. Upon further investigation illegal narcotics were located and Mr. Figueroa was arrested and booked into the Quay County Detention Center. It was during this time, while Mr. Figueroa was being held in the Quay County Detention Center it was learned that in 2007 he had been convicted of sexual assault crime in Tennessee. This required him to register as a sex offender. He was last registered in Mojave County Arizona in April 2017, and sent the Mojave County Sheriff’s Office a letter in October 2017 stating he was moving to Long Beach, California. Somehow ending up in Tucumcari. Pablo Figueroa has a prior conviction of failing to comply with reporting requirements from the State of Arkansas on 03/17/2014. By the time all this was learned and along with the states new bond requirements on what amounts to the catch and release system of justices, and without a detention hearing by Magistrate Court or the 10th Judicial District Attorney’s Office this dangerous individual was released with very little or no bond. After his release a warrant was generated for his arrest. On January 3, 2018 Mr. Figueroa was located and pursued at high rates of speeds thought the City of Tucumcari. Mr. Figueroa was able to avoid arrest by causing a greater danger to the citizens had Law Enforcement continued pursing him. While out on bond and continuing to break the law, Mr. Figueroa decided to flee to another state. Eventually he was arrested in Russellville Arkansas with the assistance of the US Marshall service.
“I along with another Deputy of the Quay County Sheriff’s Office traveled to the state of Arkansas, (Dermott Arkansas located in the far southeast corner of the Delta next to the Mississippi river) and transported Pablo Figueroa back to Quay County costing approximately $2800.00 of tax payer dollars. Mr. Figueroa was then held in the Quay County Detention Center until his court dates for all of the criminal charges he earned for his brief stay in Tucumcari and Quay County. At his sentencing in District Court, Mr. Figueroa was sentenced to three (3) years in the New Mexico Department of correction, he represented himself, and worked out his own plea agreement terms that he would plead guilty to if he would be granted a three day furlough. (Definition of a fur lough: 1. leave of absence from duty, especially military duty. 2. a period of leave granted to a prisoner, usually as a reward for good behavior and to reduce incarceration cost. Mr. Figueroa is most definitely not in the military nor has he shown any sign of good behavior. Well, against the recommendations (not that the Sheriff’s Office or any other Law Enforcement Official was asked) Mr. Figueroa was given this furlough; even with his track record of running from the law. The Tenth Judicial District Attorney Timothy L. Rose allowed this furlough even after he escaped arrest of lawful warrants, refused to register as a sex offender and fled the state of New Mexico. District Attorney Timothy L. Rose is either incapable or unwilling to do the job he was elected to do by the citizens of Quay County. As the prosecuting attorney he not only allows weak sentencing but seems to encourage plea deals that greatly reduce the severity of the crimes committed by offenders in Quay, DeBaca and Harding Counties.
“The positive side to this is Pablo Figueroa has once again been apprehended by hard working Law Enforcement Officers in the area of Warsaw Indiana. Warsaw is south of Grand Rapids Michigan about 120 miles. So, due to the inability or refusal of District Attorney Timothy L. Rose to perform the job he was elected to do the Quay County Sheriff’s Office has to make arraignments to go get Pablo Figueroa again but at a cost higher than the last time of around $3800.00 dollars of tax payer money. This will take Deputies out of Quay County limiting the effectiveness of the Sheriff’s Office.”