A former emergency dispatcher is currently in custody facing charges for making multiple terroristic threats against Dona Ana County facilities and its employees through social media posts. Jason Rivera, 53, of Las Cruces, who once worked for the Mesilla Valley Regional Dispatch Authority (MVRDA), was brought before a federal judge and will be held until a scheduled detention hearing on Tuesday, November 26.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Rivera's troubling actions manifest in several Facebook posts dating back to April, including one that led to a bomb sweep after claiming there were explosives at the MVRDA. Not only was the dispatch authority put on lockdown, but Rivera escalated his aggression by starting a website with a violent domain name aimed at county officials.
Investigative efforts have pinned the alarming social media activity to Rivera, with an IP address linking the threats to his place of residence. Upon arrest on April 25, Rivera recognized that the posts originated from his personal Facebook account, during an official law enforcement interview. He faces if convicted on the current allegations, up to a decade behind bars.
Before his 2020 resignation from MVRDA, Rivera's tenure spanned eight years, during which he had exhibited behavior that prompted concern among his peers, harassment, and incidents that resulted in disciplinary measures. The official announcement by officials, Alexander M.M. Uballez, U.S. Attorney, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, highlighted the FBI's Las Cruces Resident Agency and the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office's collaboration in investigating the case, with Assistant United States Attorney Ry Ellison spearheading the prosecution.
