Tucumcari man held on robbery, other charges

A Tucumcari man will be jailed in the county lockup without bond after he was accused of robbing a woman and stabbing another.

Raymond Pacheco, 59, is charged with robbery, aggravated battery against a household member with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment.

The robbery and battery counts are third-degree felonies that could lead to three years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine. The false imprisonment count is a fourth-degree felony that could lead to 18 months in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.

According to an affidavit, Tucumcari police officer Ryan Vaughan was dispatched to Trigg Memorial Hospital about midday Jan. 5 to investigate a stabbing.

A woman there said her former boyfriend, identified as Pacheco, stabbed her with a knife. The officer observed four cuts on her legs from a half-inch to 2 inches long.

The woman said she went to Pacheco’s home the previous day. When he opened the door, he appeared angry. She said she and Pacheco argued, grabbed her with one hand and stabbed her with the other.

She said Pacheco put a dog leash around one of her ankles and tied it to a coach, but she later escaped.

Another woman told the officer Pacheco forcefully took $360 in cash from her hand.

District Attorney Timothy Rose filed a motion for pretrial detention for Pacheco to “reasonably protect the safety of any other person or the community.”

Rose cited Pacheco’s years of violent criminal history that included kidnapping, assault, extortion, battery and robbery. He also said Pacheco has a history of substance abuse and mental-health problems.

“Defendant has a known reputation and history of using violence and threats of violence in the Tucumcari area,” Rose wrote. “This prosecutor believe that this Defendant would harm or threaten the victims if released. Defendant has proven that court orders of conditions of release will have little to not practical effect of the Defendant’s actions.”

District Judge Albert Mitchell Jr. granted the motion to hold Pacheco without bond.

According to a transcript of the pretrial motion hearing, Pacheco resisted the appointment of Anna Aragon as his public defender and that he wanted to represent himself in court. Mitchell denied that, referring to one case where Pacheco represented himself and a mistrial was ordered because he failed to follow jury instructions.