Suspect arraigned
Prosecutors charge him on firearms, carjacking
Jesse Hanes, accused of killing Officer Jose Chavez, faces firearms and carjacking charges in federal court
LAS CRUCES — The Ohio fugitive who allegedly killed Hatch police officer Jose Chavez appeared for the first time in court Friday.
Dressed in bright red scrubs and confined to a wheelchair, 38-yearold Jesse Hanes was arraigned on federal carjacking and firearms charges in the court of U.S. Magistrate Judge Carman Garza.
The state has charged Hanes with first-degree murder, willful and deliberate, in the Aug. 12 killing of Chavez, according to court documents.
Federal prosecutors are charging Hanes with being a felon in possession of a firearm; carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury; and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. If convicted of the federal charges, Hanes could face more than 45 years in prison.
Hanes affirmed during the arraignment that he understood the charges, despite being under the influence of pain medication.
Hanes and another Ohio fugitive, 36-year-old James Nelson, allegedly were road-tripping across the country dealing methamphetamine and marijuana when Chavez stopped their 1991 silver Lexus in Hatch. A hitchhiker named Tony Jones also was allegedly in the vehicle, riding in the back seat.
Hanes was driving; Nelson rode in the front passenger seat. According to court documents, Hanes fired a handgun at Chavez, shooting him fatally in his upper torso.
The men sped away and, according to the state and federal complaints, Nelson and Jones got out of the car at some point. Hanes shot himself in the groin then later allegedly carjacked a red Chevy Cruz at a rest stop near Radium Springs and shot the driver in the leg when he refused to get in the car.
Doña Ana County Sheriff’s deputies pursued and eventually stopped the Chevy Cruz on a rural stretch of Highway 185 between Hatch and Las Cruces.
Authorities found almost 50 grams of “large rocks of a white crystal-like substance” in the Lexus that tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the state’s complaint. Also found in the vehicle were more than 30 grams of marijuana in a baggie and plastic vials, and burnt marijuana cigarettes.
Nelson was arraigned Thursday on state charges including trafficking with intent to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia in 3rd Judicial District Court.
Jones faces drug possession charges.