2nd Hatch suspect faces drug charges
Man charged in killing of police officer leaves El Paso hospital
LAS CRUCES — The traveling companion of the man alleged to have killed Hatch police officer Jose Chavez was arraigned Thursday on felony drug trafficking charges. James Nelson, 36, is charged with trafficking with intent to distribute methamphetamine; distribution of marijuana; and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the state’s complaint.
He faced Judge Fernando Macias in the 3rd Judicial District Court.
Nelson was in the front passenger seat of the 1991 silver Lexus that Chavez pulled over in Hatch on Aug. 12, according to the complaint. Jesse Hanes, 38, was driving. Court documents say the two men — accused of a murder in Ohio — were fugitives on a cross-country spree paid for by selling meth and marijuana.
Nearly 50 grams of “large rocks of a white crystal-like substance” that tested positive for methamphetamine were found in the Lexus, according to the complaint. Also found in the vehicle were more than 30 grams of marijuana in a baggie and plastic vials, and burnt marijuana cigarettes.
During the traffic stop, Hanes allegedly pulled a .45 caliber handgun on Chavez and fired through the front passenger window, dealing a fatal shot to the officer’s neck.
Hanes has been charged with first-degree murder, willful and deliberate, according to court documents.
At some point between a high-speed chase by authorities and a carjacking at a nearby rest area off Interstate 25 following the shooting, Hanes apparently shot himself in the groin, according to court documents. He was transported to University Medical Center in El Paso.
The hospital discharged him on Wednesday and federal authorities took him into custody, according Doña
Ana County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Kelly Jameson.
Also in the car the day of the shooting was a hitchhiker named Tony Jones. A small amount of meth was allegedly found in a suitcase he was carrying, and he faces a possession charge.
It was Nelson’s second appearance in court this week after he waived extradition to Ohio in court earlier this week. He arrived in an orange-and-white striped jump suit with two armed guards from the Doña Ana County Detention Center.
Macias set a $100,000 secured bond, denying Nelson’s attorney’s request for a reduced bond of $25,000.
A public funeral for Chavez is scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Pan American Center at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.