Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies charged a Moving Arts Española coach with fourth degree rape for having sex with a 16-year-old student.
Deputies arrested and charged Christopher Maestas, 29, of Santa Fe, on Oct. 25, the same day they conducted an interview with the victim and a school official, and one day after school officials fired Maestas.
He is charged with fourth degree rape of a child, age 13 to 18, by a school employee. The victim told deputies the sex was consensual, but under New Mexico law, sex between school employees and students can be a crime.
Detective Marcella Archuleta-Bernal wrote in a statement of probable cause that deputies went to the Dreamcatcher movie theater on Oct. 25, where they met with the victim, her guardian and Moving Arts Española Human Resources Director Cristian Madrid. Madrid learned of what allegedly happened, and fired Maestas, the day before.
The girl told deputies she attends the program and on Oct. 9, she snuck out of her house around midnight and Maestas picked her up. He took her to Anytime Fitness where they did some exercises. Afterward, he drove them to a dead end road near the middle school and they kissed while she sat on his lap. After he got spooked by a passing car, he drove them to the movie theater parking lot and there, they had sex, Archuleta-Bernal wrote.
“She disclosed that the intercourse was consensual,” she wrote. “(The victim) said during intercourse, she requested Christopher to stop, which he did and drove her home without incident.”
Madrid told deputies that on Oct. 24, he “became aware of the interaction” between the coach and student, due to his own investigation based on a change in behavior in the victim.
“Christian (sic) explained he noticed a difference in behavior from (the victim) and ascertained due to her withdrawal type behavior,” Archuleta-Bernal wrote. “He said (the victim) was initially reluctant to advise and became visibly upset when Christopher’s name was mentioned. After several minutes, (the victim) stated she and Christopher had sexual intercourse on October, 9, 2025, in his vehicle.”
She told Madrid that she asked Maestas to wear a condom and he told her he didn’t need to because he recently gave blood and they would have told him if he had a sexually transmitted infection, Archuleta-Bernal wrote.
“Christian explained he immediately expressed the findings to the Chief Executive of the Moving Arts Española (TBD),” Archuleta-Bernal wrote.
The pair then scheduled a meeting with Maestas who was visibly shaking and appeared ill, evidenced by him gagging. Asked if he knew why he was there, he allegedly told them he assumed it was “the situation” with the victim, she wrote.
“When Christian (sic) confirmed, Christopher verbally confessed to picking up (the victim) at 12 am and going to the gym,” Archuleta-Bernal wrote, recounting Madrid’s interview. “He reportedly told Christian (sic) the two parked and ‘fooled around’ and that he ‘had a moment of weakness.’”
Maestas allegedly told his bosses he “felt pressured” to have sex with the victim and admitted to having sex with her. They then fired him and as he walked out of the meeting, “turned and relayed that he was concerned for (the victim’s) safety because he had knowledge of her talking to an ‘older guy,’ older than him,” Archuleta-Bernal wrote.
The following day, the police were called and deputies went to Maestas’s apartment where they arrested him. He invoked his right to remain silent and to an attorney.
It wasn’t until Oct. 28, three days after his arrest, that Santa Fe Magistrate Judge Melissa Mascareñas released him on his own recognizance. A preliminary examination is set for Dec. 16.
Moving Arts Statement
A statement on the Moving Arts website signed by Creative Director Roger Montoya and Chief Executive Officer Salvador Ruiz, said a student initially informed them of the teacher’s misconduct on Oct. 24 and they immediately contacted her parents and law enforcement, cancelled classes for that Saturday and fired the teacher.
“We are fully cooperating with law enforcement,” Montoya and Ruiz wrote in the statement. “We look forward to a complete investigation of what happened and will keep the community informed. We are deeply heartbroken for the student and for our community. We ask that you respect the student’s privacy during this difficult time.”
The police report makes no mention of a student making the initial disclosure, but rather, witnesses portrayed it as a result of the intuition of the human resources director.