A 38-year-old Hatch man is facing felony robbery and hit-and-run charges after police say he punched and kicked a man demanding a $50 debt payment, took his phone, wallet, and keys, then rammed the man's Chevrolet Camaro with a white Chrysler 300 before speeding off. Juan Escobedo was arrested on Monday, more than three months after the alleged confrontation, and remained held at the Doña Ana County Detention Center as of Tuesday.
The incident traces back to May 10, when the victim told police he went to a home on Wilson Street in Hatch to pay another man a $50 debt, according to a probable cause statement described by Organ Mountain News. Instead, police allege Escobedo demanded the $50 payment himself, punched the victim in the face with a closed fist, and kicked him while pressing for the money. The victim told police he offered to call a relative to bring the cash, but the confrontation escalated before that could happen.
Victim Says He Escaped as Vehicle Rammed His Camaro
According to the probable cause statement, the victim managed to escape the confrontation, but police allege Escobedo refused to return his cellphone, wallet, and vehicle keys. The victim recorded brief videos showing a white Chrysler 300, allegedly driven by Escobedo, leaving the scene at a high rate of speed. Those same videos reportedly captured the Chrysler's license plate, and police allege the vehicle intentionally struck the victim's blue Camaro, causing what officers described as moderate to heavy damage to the driver-side door and front fender.
Police allege Escobedo fled the Wilson Street property because officers were being called. A responding officer, identified in the probable cause statement as Frank Angel, said he observed blood and an injury around the victim's mouth along with scratches on his arm. Angel also found a damaged cellphone case at the scene, which the victim identified as belonging to the phone he says Escobedo took. Angel told investigators he recognized Escobedo from prior contact with him, and at the time of the confrontation, police allege Escobedo was sitting in the passenger seat of the other man's vehicle before the alleged assault and robbery unfolded.
Arrest Warrant Sat for Three Months Before Service
A magistrate judge found probable cause and issued a warrant for Escobedo's arrest on May 11, but the warrant was not served until Monday, when he was taken into custody. He now faces third-degree felony robbery along with two separate charges tied to leaving the scene of an accident — one involving damage to a vehicle and another covering incidents with no great bodily harm or death.
Under New Mexico Statutes § 30-16-2 and § 31-18-15, third-degree felony robbery carries a basic statutory sentence of up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000, according to Justia Law. Separately, New Mexico Statute § 66-7-202 classifies leaving the scene of a property-damage accident without stopping to exchange information as a misdemeanor, per FindLaw. Because no deadly weapon was reportedly brandished during the alleged robbery, the charge was filed as basic third-degree robbery rather than the more severe second-degree armed robbery charge, which under state law applies when a deadly weapon is used or displayed and can carry up to nine years in prison.
Pretrial Monitoring Recommendation Leaves Release Undecided
Escobedo has prior misdemeanor and felony convictions, at least one previous sentence to incarceration, and a history of failing to appear in court, though he has no prior violent convictions on record. A Public Safety Assessment conducted this week recommended Pretrial Monitoring Level 3 for Escobedo — a high-intensity supervision category for released defendants. But the assessment tool does not determine whether a defendant will actually be released or what conditions a judge might impose; it is only used to inform that decision.
New Mexico's Public Safety Assessment tool was created in 2013 by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation to gauge failure-to-appear and reoffending risk using nine historical factors, according to Advancing Pretrial Policy & Research. Even a Level 3 recommendation remains non-binding guidance, with judges in New Mexico's Third Judicial District retaining final authority over release conditions. As of publication, no judge had issued a release order in Escobedo's case, leaving open whether he'll be granted high-intensity supervised release or held pending trial on the strength of his record and the allegations against him.
Escobedo's case will move through the Third Judicial District, which covers all of Doña Ana County with district court proceedings in Las Cruces and a local magistrate court in Hatch, according to New Mexico Courts. Hatch, a village of 1,648 residents about 37 miles northwest of Las Cruces, is best known as the self-proclaimed Chile Capital of the World, per the Village of Hatch. For now, Escobedo remains at the Doña Ana County Detention Center, an 846-bed facility in Las Cruces built in 1995 and expanded in 2000, according to Doña Ana County records.
