Española man faces kidnapping charge after chase
Passenger tells deputies she feared for her life as driver fled traffic stop in Santa Fe
An Española man accused of fleeing a traffic stop Monday afternoon in Santa Fe and then leading sheriff ’s deputies on a high-speed chase with a female passenger in his truck is facing a count of kidnapping and other charges.
A criminal complaint filed Tuesday against Robert Martinez, 30, said a Santa Fe County sheriff ’s deputy had pulled over his gold Toyota Tundra on northbound N.M. 599 just before 4 p.m. because the truck’s license plate was not clearly visible.
When the deputy informed Martinez his driving privilege had been revoked,
Martinez drove off, the complaint said.
Martinez has numerous prior drivingrelated convictions — including for DWI, driving with a suspended or revoked license, and resisting an officer — court records show.
Deputies found the Tundra speeding north on Tesuque Village Road, where Martinez was illegally passing vehicles and had nearly hit other cars and even a bicyclist at a speed of more than 100 mph, according to the complaint. Deputies chased Martinez onto northbound U.S. 84/285, where his Tundra eventually ran over a spike strip on the highway near the Cuyamungue bridge.
Martinez forged on, albeit at a slower speed, before finally stopping in the far left lane just before the exit to N.M. 502 in Pojoaque, the complaint said.
Martinez fled the truck and ran across the southbound lanes, dodging traffic. A deputy chasing him on foot fired a Taser at Martinez, which was “ineffective,” according to the complaint. After discarding a black bag and a phone, Martinez scaled a barbed wire fence. He was caught down an embankment nearby.
His passenger told deputies Martinez had agreed to give her a ride back to Española, but she was in fear for her life during the chase and had pleaded with him to stop.
In addition to felony charges of aggravated fleeing from a law enforcement officer and kidnapping, Martinez is charged with reckless driving, tampering with evidence, drug possession, driving with a revoked license, improperly displaying a license plate and two counts of resisting an officer.