Martah Alondra Lozano
Martah Alondra Lozano pleaded not guilty to tampering with evidence charges related to the Sunland Park extortion case earlier today, and she bonded out of jail this evening.
Lozano, an assistant temporary human resources employee in Sunland Park, bonded out a day after she turned herself in to police. She faces fourth-degree felony charges of tampering with evidence and conspiracy to tamper with evidence, and a maximum of three years in prison if convicted. Her bond had been set at $50,000 cash-only but was lowered earlier today to $30,000 secured.
Two other defendants in the case who have been arrested – Mayor Pro Tem Daniel Salinas and City Manager Jaime Aguilera – remain jailed. They are facing extortion and other charges for allegedly using a lap-dance video to try to force one of Salinas’ opponents to drop out of the March 6 mayoral race.
A fourth defendant, Sunland Park Public Works Director Jesus Dario Hernandez, remains at large. He faces the same charges as Lozano.
The charges against Lozano, a former news editor for the El Paso Univision affiliate KINT-TV, stem from actions she allegedly took last week when state police showed up at Sunland City Hall to executive a search warrant in the extortion case. According to the criminal complaint, surveillance video shows Lozano running into Salinas’ office, locking the door, grabbing two laptop computers and leaving the building through another door while police were outside the building.
Lozano admitted to police that Salinas directed her to retrieve the laptops, investigators say. Salinas told law enforcement the computers were stolen from his truck the next day in Ciudad Juárez and he no longer has them.