Sheriff’s deputies arrested Sunland Park City Councilor Sergio R. Carrillo on charges of possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia Monday.
Courtesy photo
Sergio Carrillo
Carrillo, 29, was arrested at about 9 p.m. at Sunland Park City Hall during a council meeting, according to Kelly Jameson, a spokeswoman for the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department.
Both charges against Carrillo are misdemeanors. The marijuana charge, if it’s a first offense, carries a maximum penalty of 15 days in jail and a $100 fine. The paraphernalia charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $100 fine. NMPolitics.net found no previous drug charges against Carrillo on the New Mexico courts website.
The arrest came after deputies encountered Carrillo and two others on Sunday during a traffic stop. Deputies detected “a heavy odor of narcotics coming from the vehicle,” Jameson said. They asked for but weren’t given permission to search the vehicle, so they held it until a search warrant could be obtained.
There wasn’t probable cause on Sunday to detain Carrillo and the other occupants, so they were let go, Jameson said.
After obtaining a warrant, investigators found the marijuana and paraphernalia, and arrest warrants were issued, Jameson said. She was trying to get information on the other two, including their identities and whether they had been arrested.
Carrillo posted a $1,500 cash bond and was released from the Doña Ana County Detention Center in Las Cruces at 2:25 a.m. Tuesday, a jail booking sheet states.
Carrillo represents District 4 on the Sunland Park council. He also works as a substitute teacher in the Gadsden Independent School District but has been placed on administrative leave, district spokesman Luis Villalobos said.
NMPolitics.net left a message for Carrillo at Sunland Park City Hall. We will update this story if he contacts us.
A prior version of this posting incorrectly stated that the penalties for the misdemeanors could lead to time served in the state prison system, not the county jail.