Portales, NM – Ninth Judicial District Attorney, Andrea Reeb, announced that District Judge Drew D. Tatum sentenced former Deputy Christopher McCasland today to the maximum sentence for a petty misdemeanor, of 182 days in the Roosevelt County Detention Center.
On February 15, 2021, the Court found former Deputy Christopher McCasland guilty of being in possession of stolen property.
The charges arose from a New Mexico State Police investigation involving burglaries which occurred in Angel Fire, New Mexico back in 2014. Evidence showed that McCasland had actually taken part in the theft even though he had worked for the Angel Fire Police Department at the time of the theft and had even taken the report on the burglary.
McCasland was charged with committing a burglary by the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Colfax County but those charges were later dismissed due to the statute of limitations. The 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office charged the defendant with being in possession of the property on July 9, 2020 when it was found. Initially, McCasland was charged with a felony until it was discovered that the value of the property, now six years old, was less than $250 in value. Property is determined by what the items are worth on the day the property was located.
Judge Tatum stated during the sentencing hearing today, “Deputy McCasland has violated the trust placed in him. It is a betrayal of the community and the oath that he took.” Judge Tatum placed McCasland into immediate custody and also granted an appeal bond of $1,000 cash only.
McCasland’s attorney stated that he would file the appeal bond within the hour.
Chief Deputy District Attorney, Brian Scott Stover, prosecuted the case for the State. Albuquerque attorney, Dean Border represented McCasland.
For more information, please contact the Office of the District Attorney, at 575-769-2246.
