Magistrate judge censured for misconduct against neighbor

A New Mexico magistrate judge has been censured by the state Supreme Court for alleged acts of willful misconduct against a neighbor.

The Alamogordo Daily News reported on Tuesday that Otero County Magistrate Judge Steve Guthrie gave up his right to a formal hearing as part of a stipulation agreement that also involved public censure and unsealing of the case’s records.

Records state that between October 13, 2017, and April 20, 2018, Guthrie parked his vehicle in front of his next-door neighbor, Leticia Coyazo’s home as a way of preventing the Coyazo grandchildren from playing basketball.

Guthrie allegedly told Coyazo that if he heard the basketball bouncing one more time, he would impede Coyazo’s husband, Ysidro Coyazo, from receiving disability benefits.

Records say Ysidro is a disabled veteran who receives a monthly disability check.