Man arrested 70 times since 2022 now in federal custody
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Today, Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story is providing an update on the case of Neal Garcia, the man who made headlines last month for having been arrested 70 times in a three-year period.
Late last month, Chief Story published a video on social media calling for a change in the way the system handles repeat offenders such as Garcia. Chief Story says that the day his original video was published online, a member of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico reached out to him looking to help with this case.
Now, Chief Story says his department is working with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico on this matter. He and representatives from the Attorney's Office and the FBI announced in a new video today that Garcia is in federal custody facing Hobbs Act robbery charges involving threats of violence and interference with commerce.
If convicted on the new federal charges, Garcia faces up to 20 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico. He will remain in federal custody pending trial.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico says that it is committed to working with local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors across New Mexico to tackle the issue of repeat offenders.
"To every law enforcement agency and prosecutor across New Mexico, the U.S. Attorney's Office is open for business," U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico Ryan Ellison said. "If you have violent repeat offenders who continue to victimize your communities, contact our office or the FBI. We are actively working to identify and federally charge the most violent criminals across this state. When state options have been exhausted and federal law applies, we will prosecute."
ORIGINAL STORY (October 29, 2025): Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story says repeat offenders are one of the city’s biggest challenges but it’s a problem his department can’t solve alone.
“There’s not one thing that’s going to fix this,” Story said. “I wish there was, because it would make it a lot easier. But there are failures at every level.”
Story said those failures have allowed men like Neal Garcia to remain on the streets. According to Story, Garcia has been arrested more than 70 times between 2022 and 2025, including for violent offenses. Public court records show Garcia’s charges in New Mexico date back to 2001.
“He’s hurting people, victimizing people, causing problems in our businesses, in our community and breaking windows at City Hall multiple times,” Story said.
Garcia’s most recent case, involving the breaking of windows at Las Cruces City Hall, was dismissed in September after a court found him not competent to stand trial and not dangerous.
Story said the current system is failing both the community and offenders like Garcia.
“If your family member is working at Walgreens and gets punched in the face while they’re just trying to do their job, we’d all say that person is dangerous,” Story said. “And he’s done things like that multiple times.”
The Doña Ana County District Attorney’s Office petitioned for involuntary commitment and assisted outpatient treatment, but neither was granted. Story said existing laws make it nearly impossible to get offenders the help they need or to keep them off the streets.
“There are resources available to him,” Story said. “We cannot find a way to get him plugged in and make him do those things, because it doesn’t exist within the law.”
Now, Story is calling on state lawmakers to address the issue of habitual offenders.
“There’s a list that’s far too long of people like him,” he said. “If we could keep repeat offenders off the streets, we’d make a significant impact in our community.”
Story also emphasized the financial burden repeat offenders place on taxpayers.
