Mistrial declared in case of Rio Arriba County sheriff
TIERRA AMARILLA, N.M. (AP) — A state district judge on Friday declared a mistrial in the case of Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
The 60-year-old sheriff was facing charges of harboring or aiding a felon and bribing a witness in connection with a 2017 incident. He was accused of helping former Española City Councilor Phillip Chacon evade police after a high-speed chase and telling a sheriff’s deputy who witnessed some of his actions not to tell anyone.
Lujan’s attorney had argued that the sheriff had no knowledge of the charges against Chacon at the time.
Española police began pursuing Chacon after he attempted to back into a police vehicle and failed to pull over despite the officer’s use of lights and sirens, The Santa Fe New Mexican reported. The chase reached speeds up to 110 miles per hour before officers abandoned the pursuit due to the danger to the community.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-d02c66d1499a22f11cf0bcf4cf20d98e
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