The Bernalillo County district attorney dropped in December criminal charges against Jeff Armijo, who was the Democratic Party’s nominee for state auditor in 2006 until he was pressured to quit the race because of allegations that eventually led to the charges.
In dismissing a felony charge of false imprisonment and three misdemeanor battery charges, the district attorney’s office said there was insufficient evidence to proceed, according to the New Mexico courts Web site.
I’m reporting on this now because I just discovered it. To my knowledge, it has not been reported elsewhere.
Armijo was indicted almost a year ago and faced a maximum of three years in prison if convicted. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges. The district attorney could decide to refile the charges at some point but, as a practical matter, that rarely happens.
Armijo was the favorite to win the auditor race in 2006 until police began investigating allegations that he made unwanted sexual advances toward a female campaign volunteer. The woman reported to police on Aug. 3, 2006 that she had been at Armijo’s home doing volunteer work for his campaign. The two were at a computer, she said, when Armijo grabbed her and kissed her repeatedly, though she told him they should not be kissing. The woman told police Armijo removed some of her clothing, held her down on the floor and inappropriately touched her, though she told him to stop.
The woman was able at some point to leave and call police.
While police investigated, Armijo originally vowed to continue his campaign, but Gov. Bill Richardson and others pressured him to drop out. In mid-August, Armijo announced that he would quit the race, but he changed his mind days later and announced he would not file the signed, notarized withdrawal letter that had typically been required by the secretary of state’s office. The governor’s office and Democratic Party argued that Armijo’s prior public statements and actions constituted a withdrawal. The secretary of state agreed and took his name off the ballot.
Armijo and the party sued each other in an attempt to resolve the situation, but Armijo eventually dropped his fight in a deal announced with Speaker of the House Ben Lujan.
The party replaced Armijo on the ballot with Hector Balderas, who was elected state auditor two months later.
Last year, the Legislature approved a law requiring that candidates who drop out of races can do so only by filing signed, notarized withdrawal letters.
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