By Curt Gustafson
Valencia County News-Bulletin
A Bosque Farms police officer resigned after being accused of videotaping himself having sex on two different occasions with two different women and loading the video onto the department’s computers.
Steven Roberts now faces decertification by the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy Board after his supervisors found the personal sex videos on a department computer.
One of the sexual encounters occurred in the office of a village official while Roberts was on duty, according to a notice of contemplated action prepared by Arthur Ortiz, director of the law enforcement board.
Attempts to contact Roberts have been unsuccessful.
Roberts “used a department computer to store digital videos of him having sex with two different females, one in a bedroom, the other in the office” of a village official, the notice stated.
The latter sexual encounter was recorded on Dec. 14, 2009, it said.
Roberts then “interfered with the investigation of his conduct by exploiting unauthorized access to his supervisors’ e-mails,” the notice stated.
The notice was sent to Roberts on Nov. 15, and he had seven days to appeal the action from the time he received the notice, Ortiz said.
The possible sanctions are dismissal of the allegations, a cautionary letter, probation, suspension of certification or revocation, Ortiz said.
The action was taken after an internal investigation that was conducted by the Bosque Farms Police Department.
“The investigation was institut- ed as soon as we learned of the actions that were deemed inappropriate,” said Bosque Farms Police Chief Greg Jones.
The allegations came to Jones’ attention when he was acting chief, he said.
He was appointed acting chief in May and made permanent chief in August.
When confronted with the allegations, Roberts resigned rather than being terminated, Jones said.
“We currently are not pursuing criminal charges against (Roberts),” Jones said.
Roberts’ resignation has had repercussions on cases he had previously investigated.
Peralta Municipal Court Judge David Young has told the Peralta Town Council that all cases that Roberts investigated are being dismissed.
And last month, defense attorney Greg Gaudette in Belen Magistrate Court requested Roberts’ personnel file to determine whether Roberts was still credible in the prosecution of a suspect who had been charged by Roberts with DWI.
Bosque Farms is contesting the release of the file.
Copyright 2010 Albuquerque Journal