School janitor faces sex abuse charges
Suspect, 45, accused of abusing a young male relative over 3½ years
SANTA FE — A San Jose man who was a custodian at the Pecos Independent School District faces more than 300 years in prison for sexually assaulting a young male relative over nearly 3½ years, and threatening to kill the boy and his family if he told anyone.
Louis Vigil, 45, was booked into the San Miguel County jail Friday on 35 felony charges, including criminal sexual penetration of a minor, criminal sexual contact of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The alleged victim, now 14, was interviewed at Santa Fe’s Solace Crisis Treatment Center Aug. 29 and said Vigil sexually assaulted him between the ages of 9 and 13, according to a State Police arrest warrant affidavit.
The boy said Vigil would hit him if he didn’t comply, and says Vigil “threatened to shoot and kill him and his family if he said anything,” the affidavit says.
PISD Superintendent Fred Trujillo didn’t immediately respond to a voicemail or email asking if Vigil was still employed by the school district. Online court records don’t indicate that Vigil has a criminal history in New Mexico.
Also, on Aug. 27, the boy’s 9-year-old sister told her mother that Vigil tried to take a picture of her with his cellphone. The girl told him no, but he replied that he already had pictures of her sister, brother and a 2-year-old female family member, according to the affidavit.
Police served a search warrant on Vigil’s residence Aug. 31 and did later interview him. During the interview, he admitted to multiple acts of criminal sexual penetration and showing the victim pornography between September 2012 and February 2016. He provided the dates, locations and descriptions of 19 separate sexual assaults.
The state filed a motion to have Vigil held in jail until trial because he victimized multiple young family members. “This type of repeated violence warrants the State to request that defendant not be released while trial is pending to safeguard the victims and members of the community, and ensure that the defendant does not endanger more lives,” prosecutor Thomas Clayton argues.
A detention hearing will be held Friday morning in front of Las Vegas District Court Judge Matthew Sandoval.