BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

Los Alamos Police Department arrested a 34-year old man from Ojo Caliente early Thursday morning (March 21) near the Los Alamos Airport after finding a sub machine gun and drugs in his vehicle, which was a black Hyundai passenger car. Esteban Roman Lucero told Cpl. Kirk Williamson he was on his way to work at Los Alamos National Laboratory and that he had forgotten he had the firearm in his vehicle and was going to take it to a friend’s house.

Court documents filed by Cpl. Williamson indicate that he was dispatched to a report of a reckless driver in the area of East Road and Airport Road. While in the area looking for the vehicle LAPD Dispatch advised him that the vehicle had pulled over on the side of the road near the airport. Williamson located the vehicle, pulled in behind it and approaching from the passenger side, contacted the driver who was later identified as Esteban Lucero.

Williamson’s report indicates that he observed Lucero’s eyes to be “pinpointed” and that he saw numerous pieces of aluminum foil in the center console with burn marks on them consistent with with “use of controlled dangerous substances”. Williamson asked Lucero for his driver’s license and registration .

“As he began to reach for the registration he moved a tarp-like object enough that I was able to see what appeared to be a loaded sub machine gun on the passenger side floorboard. I immediately told him to stop moving and put his hands up and he complied,” the report states.

Williamson then attempted to radio Dispatch to request another unit so that Lucero could be safely removed from the vehicle.

“As I was transmitting on the radio, he began to put his hands down and I needed to tell him to keep his hands up again. I asked if there were any weapons in the car and he said just the one I could see,” Cpl. Williamson’s report states.

Asked where he worked, Lucero said he worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory and had forgotten the gun was inside the vehicle and he was going to drop it off at his friend’s house. While waiting for other units to arrive, Cpl. Williamson said he asked Lucero how much Fentanyl he had smoked that day and Lucero said he had not smoked any that day but had used Suboxone. When Det. Jemuel Montoya and Det. Malik Matthews arrived, Lucero was removed from the vehicle and Terry frisked. (A Terry frisk is a limited search for weapons in the outer clothing or areas within a suspect’s control that could pose a danger to the officer) During the search, Det. Matthews located a bottle of “suspected urine” and a washcloth containing burnt aluminum foil inside Lucero’s pants pocket. Lucero was then handcuffed and detained.

The report states that Det. Montoya removed the firearm from the car for safekeeping and a check of the serial number revealed that it had been stolen in Espanola. It also states that Lucero admitted to taking 8mg of Suboxone at 6 a.m. and agreed to perform the Standard Field Sobriety Tests. Although Cpl. Williamson’s report indicates that he observed “sufficient clues” effect to charge Lucero with driving under the influence, no charge was filed.

Asked if he was willing to consent to a search of his vehicle, the report states that first he agreed but then said he didn’t want to. Asked about the bag of white powder that was inside the car, Lucero told Williamson it was “meth”.

The report indicates that officers found numerous blue pills imprinted with M30, suspected to be Fentanyl, 3.4 grams of what was suspected to be Methamphetamine and several pieces of foil with partially burned pills. In the trunk of the car, officers found several calibers of ammunition including a green tipped “armor piercing” .223 round, which was seized.

Lucero was booked into the Los Alamos Detention Center and charged with: receiving stolen property – firearm less than $2,500; negligent use of a firearm; possession of Fentanyl; possession of Methamphetamine; ; and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia related to the plastic bag containing suspected Methamphetamine and the burnt aluminum with partially burnt Fentanyl pills.

Lucero was released on his own recognizance with standard conditions of probation pending trial. He is slated to appear before Los Alamos Magistrate Judge Catherine Taylor for a status hearing on April 15.