A group of parents on the Española Valley High School girls basketball team are accusing Lando Alire, a former assistant coach on the team and a parent of a junior player, of continued harassment and bullying in the wake of restraining orders and a violent encounter last December.
Alire, along with former head coach Joe Estrada, was put on leave on Feb. 3, 2023, and ultimately fired after the season.
Alire was charged with battery and criminal damage after a violent altercation with Kevin Martinez, a parent on the girls basketball team, after a game at St. Michael’s High School on Dec. 28, 2023.
Before the game, tensions began to spark between the parents, with talks of anonymous letters and petitions that had led to Alire’s removal as coach. One parent, Rita Lynn Chavez, said that Alire’s wife, Carime, showed her a middle finger, so Chavez returned the favor. She said that the Alires were later in the lobby staring at Chavez and made comments toward her 25-year-old son.
Martinez said that as he was leaving the gymnasium, both Alires began taunting him, with Lando saying “I’m going to get you.” He left the gymnasium to go to his car, then headed back to get his cellphone that he had left inside. That was when he saw Alire, who asked if he had a weapon, and when Martinez showed his empty hands, Alire attacked.
Alire was advised by his attorney, Thomas Clark, not to give comment to the Rio Grande SUN while cases remained ongoing.
“The whole incident is a bunch of heated parents,” Clark said. “Everyone has their own version of what happened. And everyone’s perspective is their reality. We want the community to heal as a whole.”
The only security video footage seemingly taken from the incident, obtained by the SUN, has a fish-eye view with the altercation in the side of the video, making details hard to verify.
Alire, along with a small group of people, rounds a corner and spots Martinez waiting outside the gymnasium. Alire appears to lunge at him as Martinez backs away, then Alire drives him to the ground. The two continue to tussle, and at one point Alire throws a punch to Martinez’s face.
Martinez also told police that Alire was “trying to poke out his eyes,” though this was not visible in the security footage. Police concluded, based on available information from the footage and interviews, that Alire was the aggressor.
While this was happening, other parents were inside, waiting for the team to come out of the locker room.
After the altercation, Martinez’s wife Ashley called police and filed a report.
The next day, Martinez, along with two other sets of parents, filed restraining orders against Alire. Alire also filed a restraining order against three sets of parents, which has since been dropped.
In Alire’s complaint he claimed that Martinez had a knife, and was the one to attack. Martinez and his wife both denied that he had a knife, and none is visible in the video.
In a restraining order application from Chavez, she mentions that Alire had been harassing her daughter during games.
Lina Martinez also wrote that Alire verbally harasses and degrades her daughters when he attends games.
Chavez, in an interview with the SUN, called Alire a “bully.”
“Lando’s good at that, bullying everybody,” she said. She and her husband, Edward, said that during games Lando would sit behind their daughters yelling at them, calling them worthless.
Parents were instructed in a letter from Española Valley administration that they could attend games with restrictions, including sitting in an area designated by the superintendent, and to not “go near any player other than your own child.” They also had to do online training about behavior.
Alire’s daughter is a junior who has been on the varsity team for three years, and remained on the team after his dismissal.
As such, Alire also often attends basketball games, and is forced to sit away from other parents.
Chavez claimed to the SUN that Alire has flaunted these rules and those of the restraining order, included sitting behind her during games.
Ashley Martinez said that Alire sat next to her at a game and laughed at her. Martinez said she called the superintendent and nothing was done.
Alire, through his attorney, denied violating the restraining order.
“They have a lot of allegations, but the reality is that they (the Alires) have nothing to do with them (the other parents),” Clark said. “The hard part is, everyone’s really angry. Everyone’s still fired up.”
District Judge Maria Sanchez-Gagne held hearings on March 7 and April 15 about the orders, where ultimately the parties agreed to a modified restraining order.
Five players from the girls basketball team were in attendance.
At the March 7 hearing, Kevin Martinez claimed that Alire sat directly behind him at a game in Taos in February, and “antagonized” him and his family.
In the court setting, at the April 15 hearing, the parents requested the judge explain the guidelines of the restraining order to the Alires.
Ashley Martinez brought a receipt from Pizza Hut, where she is the franchise owner and her daughter along with Chavez’s daughters are employees, from Carime Alire.
Clark said that Carime Alire ordered online, and did not realize that anyone involved in the lawsuit worked there. Clark said that outside of that incident, there has been no contact between the Alires and the other parties since the restraining order took effect.
All parties are hoping that the matter can soon be put to rest, but there is a continued risk of emotions boiling over, and of continued fractured relationships within the team.
Ashley Martinez’s daughter is a senior, along with Lina Martinez’s twin daughters.
But Alire’s daughter is a junior, and will be back on the team along with Chavez’s two daughters. Alire will continue to attend games along with Chavez. And the inter-team issues have continued to flare up over recent years.
“I just want this to be over,” Chavez said. “Just let it go. Leave us alone.”