State Police Search City Hall, Mayoral Candidate’s Home
Politics in Sunland Park, N.M., suffered another blow Friday morning as residents got ready to elect a new mayor.
Friday morning, New Mexico State Police officers searched the home of Mayor Pro Tem Daniel Salinas in the 200 block of Meadow Vista Boulevard.
Salinas is running for the mayor’s seat.
“At the end of the day, I strongly believe this might be a political attack from my opposition,” said Salinas of the raid.
District Attorney Amy Orlando said the search is the result of an extortion investigation involving another mayoral candidate, Gerardo Hernandez.
This week, a video showing Hernandez getting a lap dance from a stripper in his campaign office surfaced.
Orlando said Salinas and City Manager Jaime Aguilera could be involved.
“The investigation led us to Mr. Salinas and Mr. Aguilera and that they might have more information about where the original tape or pictures came from,” said Orlando.
ABC-7 was there as state police searched Salinas’s home and walked out with several sealed bags.
Salinas said his iPad, cell phones and almost every electronic device were confiscated.
Orlando said her office is working to get the physical evidence to find out if Salinas and Aguilera initially knew of the video, possibly made copies or enhanced the video.
A warrant issued to search Sunland Park’s City Hall on Tuesday stated moments before state police walked in, a city employee ran into the building.
That employee, a temporary human resources assistant, went into the mayor’s office and took two laptop computers.
It is the same office used my Salinas.
The warrant also stated that surveillance video that was taken from City Hall shows someone telling Aguilera to “get rid of the video.”
Orlando said if evidence is found against Salinas and Aguilera, they could face charges including extortion, tampering with evidence and conspiracy.
“This doesn’t in any way say I’m guilty, so I’m cooperating,” said Salinas, as he campaigned outside City Hall Friday afternoon.
