DA’s office deciding charges in Pojoaque hazing

Juvenile Probation Office takes case from sheriff’s; football players allegedly harassed freshmen

A Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said Thursday it has forwarded its investigation into hazing allegations involving the Pojoaque Valley High School football program to the Juvenile Probation Office for review.

Juan Ríos wrote in an email deputies have completed the investigation and the sheriff’s office has not made any arrests nor filed any charges related to it. He wrote the Juvenile Probation Office and the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office will determine if any charges will be filed.

The investigation stemmed from an anonymous report the Pojoaque Valley School District received Sept. 11. A heavily redacted incident report released a week later said a person reported seniors had been pulling down freshman teammates’ pants and touching their “private parts.” Several freshmen also told investigators the senior players had been hazing them during football practice, the report said.

District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said her office has not yet received anything from the Juvenile Probation Office, but her agency will be looking for the case. She said such a case will generally take a week to review before making a decision whether to file charges.

“It could have come to our juvenile attorney; it could have come to our office, but it hasn’t been uploaded [into the system] for us to review,” Carmack-Altwies said.

The school district initially suspended seven seniors for 10 days pending the investigation, but the discipline was halted when the guardians for two players were granted a temporary restraining order Sept. 17. The students have since continued to attend school and play for the football team. A second hearing into the matter was delayed until the sheriff’s office completes its investigation.