Dona Ana County Refers Some Cases To State Court

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) – Dona Ana County prosecutors and Las Cruces city attorneys will be referring some domestic violence and drunken driving cases to state court rather than municipal court.

That would subject people to stiffer jail sentences and probation. Las Cruces City Attorney Fermin Rubio says the initiative expands the tools available to prosecute such offenses. Penalties are tougher in state court.

For example, a second drunken driving offense carries a maximum sentence of 178 days in jail and a year of probation in municipal court. Rubio says that in state magistrate court, the maximum sentence for the same offense is 364 days in jail with five years’ probation.

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