An Artesia man who recently had a criminal charge dismissed for the fifth time on the basis of incompetency has filed for his seventh competency evaluation following yet another arrest.
Cruz Alexander Munoz, 31, of Artesia, currently stands charged with criminal trespassing; possession of drug paraphernalia; bringing contraband into a jail; improper statutory cite; resisting, evading or obstructing an officer; and receiving stolen property ($250 or less) following a Dec. 26 arrest.
At around 4 p.m. that day, Artesia Police Department (APD) officers were dispatched in reference to a male subject who was looking into yards and vehicles and pulling on vehicle door handles in the area of North 13th Street. According to the criminal complaint, while driving past the 1300 block of Cannon Avenue, an officer witnessed the subject, whom he knew to be Munoz due to “many” past dealings, trying vehicle door handles in the driveway of a residence.
The officer informed Munoz he was being detained, and Munoz stated he “did nothing wrong” and was going home. As the officer attempted to place him in handcuffs, Munoz attempted to resist. Two more officers arrived and assisted in detaining him.
During a search of Munoz’s person, police found several wallets, one of which included a driver’s license and another a fuel card that did not belong to Munoz. A further search revealed a glass pipe with burned residue and a knife. Munoz was subsequently transported to the Artesia Detention Center after telling officers he had no further contraband on his person.
After arriving at the jail, Munoz reportedly claimed he needed medical attention so he could go home. He was evaluated by medics and found to be in no distress. Following a clothing check, officers located two more narcotics pipes, one plastic and one metal, and another knife.
Munoz was released Dec. 27 on a $10,000 bond and had a motion for a competency evaluation filed that same day.
At that point, he was just days removed from having his fifth criminal charge dismissed without prejudice due to a finding of incompetency. On Dec. 22, a charge of burglary of a vehicle was dismissed after Munoz was caught Oct. 29 breaking into an SUV by a resident in the 1000 block of Dallas Avenue.
According to the criminal complaint, Munoz ran after being confronted by the resident and hid in a yard on Texas Avenue before being found by APD officers at 10th Street and Mahone Drive.
Also on Dec. 22, a charge of criminal trespassing was dismissed due to incompetency. On Oct. 18, charges of burglary of a vehicle and larceny ($250 or less) filed on Aug. 25 were dismissed, as were charges filed Aug. 21 of larceny ($250 or less) and receiving stolen property ($250 or less). On April 6, a June 4, 2021, charge of tampering with evidence was dismissed.
In 2019, however, Munoz was found — after being committed to the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute for evaluation — competent to stand trial on a Feb. 6, 2017, charge of aggravated assault upon a peace officer with a deadly weapon. He pleaded guilty Jan. 27, 2020, before Judge Lisa B. Riley in Fifth Judicial District Court.
