DPS agent arrested

An agent assigned to the Special Investigations Division of the Clovis Department of Public Safety was arrested Thursday, accused of fabricating police citations.

Dolores Ledezma-Pinon, 51, is charged with five counts each of forgery, tampering with public records and disposition of citations.

Department of Public Safety Communications Director Peter Olson said after anomalies were discovered in citations Ledezma-Pinon had written, her supervisor, Sgt. Jessie Carter, contacted investigators.

Ledezma-Pinon resigned from her position earlier this week, according to Olson. She had been on administrative leave with pay since March 15, according to DPS documents.

The suspect was released Thursday on a $25,000 bond.

Ledezma-Pinon’s attorney, Rob Perry of Albuquerque, said previously his client was innocent and would not be available for comment.

Ledezma-Pinon has worked in Curry County law enforcement about 17 years, including the last nine years with the state, according to Perry, who did not return calls Thursday seeking comment.

According to an arrest warrant filed in Curry County Magistrate court on Thursday, five citations for open container and minor in possession of alcohol were forged, court records show. Records show the citations in question were not turned into the court for processing.

A certified document examiner concluded three citations were not signed by the persons they had been issued to following microscopic examinations of the citations on March 29.

His examination was based on comparisons to Department of Motor Vehicle signature records.

When investigators interviewed the alleged recipients of the citations, they all denied being issued a citation by Ledezma-Pinon. Court records indicate one of the men was in jail at the time the citation was issued.

Olson said although the persons listed on the citations were not fined and have no court records from the citations, future background checks of internal law-enforcement databases could potentially reveal the false information.

“That it happened initially is a concern, but the fact that we caught it should tell people that sometimes people do bad things and we have the ability to catch them and take care of those things,” Olson said.