Chance check-up catches New Mexico officer with suspended license

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – He was pulling drivers over for months and he was the one breaking the legislation. Only a few months into Jason Gage’s new job with the Metropolis of Santa Rosa, driving his patrol automotive was truly unlawful. The police officer continued to get behind the wheel although, violating a legislation he was tasked with imposing.  

“Properly my response because the Chief, it was a shock to me,” Chief Ernesto Pacheco stated. He defined that shock got here when he was working to verify his officers have been in compliance forward of their annual coaching. He found Gage didn’t have a sound driver’s license. “The factor about it’s, we did take an oath as law enforcement officials and we’re held to a better normal,” the Chief stated. “And, it was super to us that this occurred with considered one of my officers.”

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Information from Gage’s personnel file present his driver’s license was suspended in Might 2021. It could take 9 months for Chief Pacheco to seek out out, till February 2022. 

“It could have been in reference to his little one help and a reinstatement charge that was not paid,” the Chief defined. Court docket data present Gage has three kids. Two along with his now ex-wife and the third exterior of his marriage. The document exhibits he owed that mom hundreds and demanded a paternity check to show he was the kid’s father. 

“Proper now, just below 60% of our instances are making common little one help funds, what we name present help,” stated Betina McCracken, the interim Director for New Mexico’s Little one Assist Enforcement Division. 

She will’t touch upon particular person instances; however McCracken defined, as outlined within the State’s Parental Accountability Act, if somebody is 30-days delinquent, they’re liable to dropping their license. “And people usually are not simply driver’s licenses, however they’re occupational skilled leisure licenses,” she stated. 

There are 63 various kinds of licenses. McCracken stated CSED notifies the licensing company and that company takes motion. However she stated the non-payer is warned. A letter arrives within the mail 30 days earlier than the suspension and a textual content message follows a number of weeks later. “So we simply attempt to work with them as finest we are able to to attempt to keep away from that within the first place. As a result of as soon as it does get suspended, then that will get somewhat bit tougher,” McCracken shared. 

Gage contested he acquired any type of discover. He wrote to his Chief, “Little one help despatched no notices of them suspending my license nor did they’ve any notes of eager to droop. I spoke to little one help they usually despatched compliance discover and I used to be capable of get my license legitimate instantly.” 

Santa Rosa disciplined Gage with a 15-day paid suspension “for failure to fulfill job necessities.” He’s already again patrolling the group full time. 

“He got here in compliance with the MVD, made the corrections and he does have his license again,” Chief Pacheco defined. 

Some other New Mexican driving with out a legitimate license would face a misdemeanor, which comes with a hefty high-quality or jail time. So why was Officer Gage solely penalized with a paid suspension?

“The factor about it on the felony cost – that’s one thing that might occur, however our concern instantly was the court docket instances which might be pending inside that time-frame,” the Chief answered. 

Gage stopped 29 drivers in these 9 months, however solely issued 4 citations. From Might 2021 to February 2022, Chief Pacheco stated Gage solely dealt with two felony instances. He’s working with the DA’s Workplace to determine if these will probably be compromised. The DA stated Gage is the sufferer in a kind of instances. It’s not clear but what is going to occur with the second. 

“There’s a little bit of frustration, the Chief stated. “Me, I’ll take full accountability for what my officers do. Corrective actions have taken place to reassure the group right here in Santa Rosa and I don’t know what else lets say.”

The Chief added he’s holding Gage on the drive as a result of he nonetheless trusts his officer and hopes the group will too. 

“Whether or not it’s an sincere mistake that he did, he needed to take corrective motion with it,” the Chief stated. “He was capable of get it again and we’ll transfer ahead from right here.” An sincere mistake, that’s what the Chief believes this was. 

Shifting ahead, Chief Pacheco stated he’ll be checking officers’ licenses extra continuously. The Chief claims he notified the state about Gage’s troubles to see if he’d face any punishment from the board that oversees legislation enforcement. The state says it by no means acquired something. 

KRQE simply realized Pacheco is not with the Santa Rosa Police Division, as of this week. Directors is not going to clarify why, citing personnel issues can’t be disclosed.

Proper earlier than this story aired, Jason Gage reached out claiming the license suspension was the state’s mistake after he switched jobs. However, he couldn’t present any documentation to show that.