Santa Fe District Attorney's Office could get hazing case

Conflicts of interest force move from Las Vegas, N.M.

Jason Auslander | The New Mexican

8/19/2008 - 8/20/08

The alleged violent hazing by Las Vegas, N.M., high-school football players last week at a pre-season camp may end up being handled by the Santa Fe District Attorney's Office.

That's according to 4th Judicial District Attorney Richard Flores, who represents the Las Vegas area. He said Tuesday that he may send the case to 1st Judicial District Attorney Henry Valdez because some of the victims and possible defendants in the case will create conflicts of interest for his office. "There's definitely more than one potential conflict," Flores said.

Flores said he plans to meet with victims and their families today before making a final decision about whether to send the case to Santa Fe.

Valdez referred questions back to Flores.

Meanwhile, Flores said he met with state police detectives assigned to the case for three hours Tuesday morning and asked for a follow-up investigation. Flores declined to comment on any specifics of the investigation.

Capt. Robert Shilling of the state police Criminal Investigations Bureau said investigators will tie up loose ends, conduct a follow-up investigation and wrap up the case as quickly as possible. "There's no timeline to wrap up the investigation other than this is a priority case for us," Shilling said.

State police are investigating between eight and 12 Robertson High School football players for allegations that include assault, battery, false imprisonment and criminal sexual contact or criminal sexual penetration, Shilling has said. Some of the allegations include the use of a broom handle to sodomize one or more of the players at the camp, he said.

"The (sodomy) allegation was made, we investigated it, and we have reason to believe that could have possibly happened," Shilling said Tuesday.

He said investigators have identified between six and eight possible victims, though he didn't know how many had been attacked with the broom handle.

Six players have been suspended from the football team and suspended from school for 10 days, Las Vegas City Schools Superintendent Rick Romero has said. The team's head coach, Ray Woods, his three assistants and the school's athletic director have been placed on administrative leave with pay, Romero has said.

Contact Jason Auslander at 986-3076 or :jauslander@sfnewmexican.com.