An Ohkay Owingeh man received a suspended sentence and conditional discharge in a case where he pushed a car into a house with his truck, then led police on a lengthy chase.
Joaquin Vigil, 19, pleaded guilty to aggravated fleeing an officer and aggravated DWI first offense on Jan. 9, in a deal accepted by District Judge Anastasia Martin.
Prosecutors initially sought to have Vigil held without bail pending trial, claiming he was a danger to the community, but then struck a deal with his defense attorney to release him on a GPS monitor with an exclusion zone for his ex-girlfriend’s house.
The plea deal sets his sentence at 18 months of supervised probation with the possibility of an early discharge and credit for 17 days of time served.
If he violates probation during those 18 months, his conditional discharge could be revoked on the aggravated fleeing charge. If he doesn’t, the felony aggravated fleeing charge against him will be dismissed at the end of his probation.
If he violates his probation, he faces a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison, minus credit for time served.
The drunk driving charge is not subject to the conditional discharge order and Martin sentenced him to two days, with credit for 17 days served, according to the discharge and sentencing order.
Vigil was initially charged with two counts of criminal damage to property, two counts of negligent use of a deadly weapon and one count each of criminal damage to the property of a household member, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, leaving the scene of an accident involving damage to vehicles, aggravated assault on an officer, aggravated fleeing an officer, open container of alcohol in a vehicle and resisting arrest.
New Mexico State Police Officer Eric Jackson arrested Vigil on May 22, after a lengthy vehicle chase, followed by a foot chase, which only ended when Jackson shot Vigil with a stun gun, he wrote in a criminal complaint.
Jackson was called to a house on County Road 1 after a 911 call reporting that a white dually truck was pushing a car into a house. A second call was received from a woman saying her daughter’s boyfriend was drunk, had a gun and damaged her house. As State Police officers responded to the call, they saw the white dually truck passing them. Jackson started to follow it, turned on his emergency lights and the truck turned into the Alon gas station.
“As I exited, I observed the driver moving his upper body in a manner consistent with the manipulation of a firearm,” Jackson wrote. “As I took a step forward I observed the barrel of black pistol in the driver’s side mirror.”
Vigil then sped off, running through a stop sign at El Llano Road and North Riverside Drive, onto State Road 68. Jackson chased him and Vigil did a U-turn across the median, then headed toward State Road 74, and briefly turned off his headlights, before heading to County Road 56A, then to U.S. Highway 285, then to U.S. Highway 84, Jackson wrote.
Officers used a spike strip to pop his tires but he kept driving until he stopped at a house where he got out of his truck and banged on the front door, then ran through a gap in a fence toward the back of the house. Jackson eventually shot him with a stun gun and noted when he arrested him, he smelled like alcohol.
When Jackson searched the car, he found a 1.75 liter bottle of tequila and a .45-caliber Glock pistol with an extended magazine.