Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
A San Jon resident pleaded no contest to a charge of homicide by vehicle and will serve up to eight years in prison after he was accused of striking and killing a man at a Bernalillo County casino in 2022.
Robert Joseph Archuleta, 68, accepted the plea agreement in April, less than a month before he was scheduled to stand trial.
According to court documents filed May 7, the homicide by vehicle (DWI) charge is a second-degree felony with a potential sentence of 15 years in prison, followed by two years of parole and/or a $12,500 fine.
The plea agreement stated Archuleta will serve up to eight years in prison, plus probation. If he violates probation, he may be returned to jail to serve the remainder of his sentence.
Archuleta’s driver’s license also will be revoked.
The probation office was instructed to prepare a restitution plan as part of the sentence. Archuleta agreed to waive any rights to appeal.
Bernalillo County District Judge Joseph Montano and prosecutor Guinevere Ice approved the plea deal.
Ahmad Assed was Archuleta’s lawyer.
Archuleta initially faced charges of homicide by vehicle and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the death of Alejandro de la Cruz Perez in July 2022 at the Sandia Resort & Casino north of Albuquerque.
According to court documents, De La Cruz Perez was hit by Archuleta’s vehicle near a crosswalk on Hummingbird Road at the casino. He died two days later.
An arrest warrant affidavit stated Archuleta was observed on the casino’s video surveillance footage consuming 10 beers and two shots of liquor in less than six hours.
Police obtained a search warrant to conduct a blood draw on Archuleta because he refused a breath test.
In November 2022, police received a toxicology report that stated Archuleta had a blood-alcohol level of 0.06.
A New Mexico State Police officer arrested Archuleta in early 2023 In Curry County.
