BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

Former Los Alamos Police Department detective Matthew Lyon waived his preliminary hearing in Los Alamos Magistrate Court Friday afternoon and the perjury case against him has been bound over to First Judicial District Court.

The hearing before Magistrate Judge Ann Maxwell Chavez Friday afternoon took less than three minutes after Lyon’s attorney, John D’Amato informed the Court of the waiver. Fifth Judicial District Attorney Dianna Luce, special prosecutor i the caseand Special Investigator Justin Dominguez had driven five hours one-way to Los Alamos from Lovington for the preliminary hearing, only to find out that it had waived.

The perjury charge is in connection with testimony July 17, 2023 during a preliminary hearing before Los Alamos Magistrate Judge Catherine Taylor in the case of State vs Eric Greene. Judge Taylor excused herself from the Lyon case.

On May 17, some 10 months after the Greene preliminary hearing, Magistrate Judge Ann Maxwell-Chavez signed a warrant for Lyon’s arrest with a requirement that he be held without bond pending his first court appearance. The warrant was never served by LAPD, however. On May 20, Judge Maxwell-Chavez ruled in favor of a motion filed by Lyon’s attorney John D’Amato to cancel the arrest warrant because Lyon was prepared to appear before the Court.