Las Cruces man arrested on 62 felony charges for child sex assault released on bond
UPDATE, May 13: A judge on Thursday granted release on $35,000 secured bond to a Las Cruces man facing 62 felony charges involving child crimes.
Third District Court Judge Richard Jaquez rejected a request by prosecutors to keep Johnny Pacheco, 48, jailed until trial.
Pacheco is accused of sexually assaulting a teen girl over a several year period that began when she was just age 14.
ORIGINAL REPORT, May 8: LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- A Las Cruces man who authorities allege sexually assaulted a teenage girl over a several year period has been arrested on a total of 62 felony charges.
Police announced Saturday that Johnny Pacheco, 48, was taken into custody the prior evening and booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center. He remained jailed without bond on Saturday.
Investigators accuse Pacheco of first molesting the girl when she was 14 years old and continuing to do so for four years. Authorities said Pacheco came to know the girl through a relative.
The arrest warrant for Pacheco details the 62 charges against him, which include: 42 counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor, 15 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, two counts of criminal solicitation, one count of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of battery.
Investigators said they first learned of the alleged child sex abuse in December of last year and conducted interviews over the last several months to build their case against Pacheco, which resulted in Friday's arrest warrant being obtained.
