A couple of weeks ago, Las Cruces very nearly suffered yet another tragedy. A local man left Tractor Supply on Picacho with his 14-year old grandson in the car. Driving down Picacho, an apparently homeless man threw a rock at his vehicle, shattering the window.
This is a common complaint I see on social media – homeless people, rocks and moving vehicles. I think most are hoping that a majority of their victims don’t ever confront them, even if they catch them in their crime red-handed.
Bullies usually rely on no one questioning their toughness, superiority or omniscience. While they remain unquestioned, so, too, remains their hold on our community. But in this case, the driver chose to arm himself with a stick, per a police report, and confront the man who threw the rock. The man was verbally assaulted, then struck by his attacker with a large stick. Once on the ground, the beating continued, according to police.
A news article reports that the defendant, Shane Jones, was arrested in 2021 for starting a cabin fire and forest fires in Colorado. His bond was set at $100,000. Court documents list a man of the same name and birth year as having charges in Roswell and Silver City from 2024. In May of last year, he was reported missing in Las Cruces, which was eventually rescinded when he presumably reappeared, as confirmed by the publicized missing person flyer with his photograph. On December 17, 2024, he was arrested for breaking and entering (a felony) and assault on a peace officer (a misdemeanor!). He was released within the week. Like his other cases within New Mexico, this case ended with a determination that he was incompetent to stand trial and promptly released.
This story is not uncommon in New Mexico. This is the definition of what most people have attributed to the “revolving door” in our justice system: catch and release, racking up arrest after arrest, charges on top of charges, victim after victim.
The latest charges for Jones, related to the driver’s brutal beating, include criminal damage to property, aggravated battery which may cause death or great bodily harm and failure to comply with conditions of release.
Fortunately, Las Cruces’ new District Attorney, Fernando Macías, who has been on the job for a grand total of three weeks now, was able to have Jones deemed a danger to society and he is being held at this time. Thank goodness for small miracles.
It is a common theme in New Mexico of late: people being recycled by the criminal justice system. In broad strokes, most of the repeat offenders should receive help (in the way of involuntary commitment) long before they commit atrocities or have atrocities committed against them. But our justice system errs on the side of caution, sometimes in the defendant’s favor, which may not serve the accused either, if they suffer from mental illness and/or substance use disorder.
These are serious public safety concerns the citizens of New Mexico must demand be addressed during the new legislative session. Mental health and substance use disorders must be treated, for the good of all, even involuntarily. Competency must be addressed because, right now, dismissing it from the docket is only insanity. Bail reform must be rescinded and rewritten, because right now, some feel criminals have more rights than their victims. Don’t let these policies continue to cause additional tragedies against innocent New Mexicans.
This grandfather will likely suffer excruciating headaches for the indeterminate future, if not for the rest of his life. He is home, but his injuries, especially those you can’t see, may never heal. My thoughts are with him and his family as they recover from this very near tragedy.