BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com
Shawn Cavasos of Los Alamos will be back in court Thursday, July 30 before First Judicial District Judge Anastasia Martin looking at a new sentence in a case in which he was sentenced March 27 and granted a conditional discharge Cavasos with three years of supervised probation on charges of criminal sexual penetration of a minor aged 12 – 16 and contributing to the delinquency of minor, both fourth degree felonies. Under the terms of a plea agreement with the state, Cavasos agreed to plead guilty to both charges.
A that time, Judge Martin dismissed a third charge – abandonment or abuse of a child – as part of the agreement. was dismissed as part of the agreement. The abandonment or abuse of a child charge related to Cavasos allegedly placing a gun to his head and pulling the trigger in front of the child on December 28, 2025, at his Los Alamos residence.
Judge Martin and Senior Trial Attorney Elizabeth Counce were very clear in March when advising Cavasos of his conditions of probation, what it would mean if he violated any of those conditions. See https://losalamosreporter.com/2026/03/30/judge-grants-conditional-discharge-three-years-of-supervised-probation-for-los-alamos-man-in-sexual-penetration-of-minor-case/
Counce went on record with the Court to state that due to the seriousness of the nature of the charges in the case, if there was to be a violation of the terms of probation and the conditional discharge was to be revoked, Cavasos had agreed that he would be convicted on the charges.
Judge Martin told Cavasos that with respect to the conditional discharge, he gets “one in a lifetime”. She explained that if probation is violated the sentences on the two charges would run consecutively.
On May 13, when Cavasos reported to Parole and Probation, he allegedly admitted to drinking alcohol. He was tested and the results were positive for alcohol.
On May 19, 2026, a Parole and Probation Officer recommended that Cavasos be summonsed to Court as he was in an inpatient program, and that a motion to revoke be prepared and that a probation violation hearing be set. If probable cause was found that Cavasos violated his conditions of probation. Parole and Probation asked that his conditional discharge be revoked.
Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Weston has taken over the case and filed the petition to revoke probation May 27.