Suspected New Mexico horse thief now facing child abuse charges

A convicted felon accused of stealing horses in May now faces new child abuse charges in Las Cruces, according to police.

Police say 31-year-old Ruben Sanchez had a loaded, stolen rifle allegedly pointed at his children in a Jack in the Box drive-thru in east Las Cruces.

On Friday at 7 p.m., officers say police responded to reports of a man with a gun at the restaurant on Sonoma Ranch Boulevard.

Officers say Sanchez – armed with a .22 caliber rifle and wearing a bullet-proof vest – was yelling at his girlfriend, who was working at the restaurant.

Police say an officer found Sanchez in his vehicle in the drive-thru lane with that stolen rifle pointed at his three children, ages 4 years, 2 years and 7 months. No one was injured in the incident.

“He could have fired at somebody,” said LCPD spokesman Dan Trujillo. “The gun could have gone off – injured one of the kids.”

Investigators later recovered a 30-round magazine for the rifle from a diaper bag and a bullet-proof vest from the vehicle, according to the department.​

Sanchez was charged with three counts of child abuse, one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was released on his own recognizance twelve hours after being granted bond, according to the department.

In a statement, District Attorney Mark D’Antonio admitted the release was “frustrating.”

“Since state voters approved reforms to New Mexico’s bail system in 2016, judges have been asked to make important hold-or-release decisions based on dangerousness, criminal history, flight risk and potential danger to the community. This is rapidly becoming a burden on the District Attorney’s office and the District Court to determine hold or release based on pre-trial assessment evidence; basically it means that the DA must prove with clear and convincing evidence that the defendant is considered dangerous. The DA’s office is determined to defend public safety; a defendant, like Ruben Sanchez with a criminal history, having been arrested on aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, child abuse and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon is released on a $5,000 bond is clearly frustrating, because every decision is based on the courts judicial system algorithim according to the law.”