LC Sun News: LCPD officer resigned over allegations he traded drugs for sex

A Las Cruces police sergeant resigned over the summer following allegations he traded drugs for sexual favors, the Las Cruces Sun News reports.

The newspaper reports Sgt. Alex Smith was investigated after he was accused of giving a substance believed to be methamphetamine to a woman last June, while in uniform and wearing his badge.

The office of District Attorney Mark D’Antonio said Friday it will move forward prosecuting the case. A spokesman for D’Antonio said local law enforcement sent the case to their office for review late last week. Prosecutors plan to take the case to a grand jury in the coming weeks.

ABC-7 obtained a statement from Las Cruces Police Chief Jaime Montoya, who said, “When I heard of the possible allegations against an officer of the Las Cruces Police Department in early June, I immediately authorized a criminal investigation together with our independent law enforcement partners. The officer (Alex Smith) in question subsequently resigned from the department during the internal investigation and is no longer employed by the city of Las Cruces as of June 9, 2016.”

The Sun News reports allegations surfaced after a confidential source told investigators a woman she met with told her she knew an LCPD officer who could “hook them up” with drugs.

According to documents obtained by the paper, the woman said she had known the LCPD officer for years and he would allegedly “give them whatever they want” including “dope” and that the officer “would only want them to make out or do some sort of involvement” in order to get drugs.

The Sun News reports the source and the woman met with the officer at the intersection of Turrentine Drive and Farney Lane in June where he allegedly picked them up in a marked Las Cruces police unit.

Documents obtained by the Sun News state Smith allegedly drove the women to a business complex on South Main Street. The paper reports Smith allegedly handed the woman a white napkin that contained what the source said was methamphetamine.

The Sun News reports, the following day, investigators and the source conducted an undercover meeting with the woman where a conversation between the two was recorded. In it, the woman allegedly said she knew Smith for years and he allegedly “is her connect and that she had performed sexual favors for him…in return for narcotics and information.”

The paper also reports on a surveillance operation June 5th, where the source and the woman were allegedly picked up by Smith in his LCPD unit and the woman was allegedly seen “walking from corner to corner attempting to light, what appeared to be, a glass pipe in her hand.”

In his statement, Chief Montoya said the officer “did not live up to the Mission, Values and Ethics of our department as the majority do … We will do everything possible to rid the ranks of law enforcement of any officer who does not live up to our standards.”

Montoya went on to state personal bonds and relationships involving co-workers “must not hinder our decision to do the right thing. We swore an oath to protect and serve our community.”

Montoya told ABC-7 he will continue to hold all of the department’s employees accountable for their actions. “I am committed to our community and excellence and will not condone any misconduct.”