Man accused of taking car from used-vehicle lot

A man was arrested in California after being accused of taking a vehicle from a used-car business in Tucumcari for a drive and never returning to pay for it.

Magistrate Judge Noreen Hendrickson on May 28 issued an arrest warrant for Leonardo Chavez Villasenor, 63, of San Fernando, California, on a felony charge of unlawful taking of a motor vehicle.

The charge is a fourth-degree felony that can lead up to 18 months in prison or up to a $5,000 fine.

According to a probable cause statement from New Mexico State Police patrolman Antonio Esparza, he was sent about midday May 27 to the XXX Motors used-car lot in Tucumcari to investigate a vehicle theft.

The business owner, Max Serna, said Villasenor arrived at his lot on May 18 to buy a car. Villansenor arrived in a California-registered Toyota Tacoma with a blown-out engine.

Villasenor told Sena he was heading to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a construction job and wanted to buy a 2001 Pontiac Sunfire.

Villasenor told Sena he was going to an insurance company to insure the car and bring money to pay for the vehicle. Villasenor left the dealership with the car and did not return.

Sena said he tried to call Villasenor several times.

“Mr. Sena did not report the stolen vehicle immediately as he gave Villasenor the ‘benefit of the doubt’ since he was experiencing a hardship,” the statement read.

Villansenor on May 25 called Sena to apologize for not paying but didn’t make any agreement about payment or returning the car. Esparza said he tried to call Villasenor.

Sena said state police contacted him Thursday to say Villasenor had been apprehended in Victorville, California. He said the suspect had pulled over into a bar ditch and was sleeping in the vehicle.

According to online court records, Villasenor is scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 27 in Victorville. He remains in custody in the San Bernardino County Detention Center.

Sena said he was unsure when Villasenor would be extradited to New Mexico. He said he was waiting to retrieve his car from an impound lot in California.

Last week, a 2022 Dodge Ram Bighorn truck was stolen on May 26 from the 1700 block of South Fourth Street in Tucumcari.

Quay County Crime Stoppers, which offered a $1,000 reward for information about the theft, reported the next day the vehicle was recovered by Tucumcari police.

Police Chief Patti Lopez said the truck was found under a tarp near the old cotton gin on the city’s north side. She surmised the thief had planned to come back for the vehicle later.

She said the truck was undamaged. Lopez said no arrests have been made about the case.