More than 3,400 Public Service Company of New Mexico customers went without power for a time Thursday night after a motorist attempting to elude Santa Fe police crashed into an electric pole at the intersection of Agua Fria Street and Antonio Lane.
According to a criminal complaint filed Friday in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court, police attempted to initiate a traffic stop after a driver in a silver Saturn was seen going through red lights. A chase ensued and led to the arrests of the driver, Cesar Barba-Villegas, and passengers Brittney Romero-Alvarez and Dominic Vigil.
Barba-Villegas is charged with aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer; driving while under the influence of drugs; resisting, evading or obstructing an officer; leaving the scene of an accident and driving with a suspended license, according to online court records.
Vigil is charged with trafficking and two counts of possession of a controlled substance and two counts of resisting, evading or obstructing an officer. Romero-Alvarez also was charged with one count of resisting, evading or obstructing.
All three suspects were booked into the Santa Fe County jail early Friday morning.
The incident began at about 5:40 p.m., near the intersection of Camino Consuelo and Cerrillos Road, when Barba-Villegas’ erratic driving caused another driver to collide with a street curb. Eventually, the Saturn crashed into a utility pole, according to the criminal complaint.
The vehicle’s occupants tried to flee on foot and several witnesses began yelling about one of the suspects trying to break into a nearby home. Officers ran to the residence and pointed their guns at a man later identified as Vigil, according to the complaint.
Vigil, who according to court records has several pending cases in which he is charged with possession of illegal drugs, was found with 439 suspected fentanyl pills and a clear container with suspected methamphetamine during his arrest, the criminal complaint stated.
The three suspects were taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, according to the complaint. While at the hospital, Barba-Villegas told investigators he had used marijuana and fentanyl before driving.
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Juan Ríos said his agency investigated the crash while police focused on the suspects and the circumstance of the preceding vehicle pursuit.
PNM spokesman Ray Sandoval said the crash knocked out power for 3,424 customers starting at about 6 p.m. Power was restored to most by about 8 p.m., though more than 50 were without electricity until 12:45 a.m. Friday.
The replacement pole was picked up from PNM’s Santa Fe storage yard and driven into the ground after officers finished investigating in the immediate area of the crash, Sandoval said.
Online court records show Barba-Villegas and Vigil are scheduled for virtual hearings Monday in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court. Romero-Alvarez’s court filings were not available online as of Friday afternoon.