The ongoing DWI scandal within the Albuquerque Police Department has led to the suspension of a 10th officer.
Gustavo Gomez, the deputy commander of the Internal Affairs Force Division, has been placed on paid administrative leave as part of the department’s ongoing investigation.
Gomez, who has been with the APD since 2008, was promoted to his position in January. He worked in APD’s DWI Unit from 2010 to 2013.
According to an APD news release, the FBI is conducting a criminal investigation into allegations of illegal conduct by members of the APD’s DWI unit. Allegations include that officers deliberately missed court appearances, leading to the dismissal of some DWI cases.
The news release says seven of the officers targeted in the APD investigation have since resigned. Another retired and one was fired, according to the department.
The officers who have resigned are: Honorio Alba, Daren DeAguero, Justin Hunt, Harvey Johnson, Joshua Montaño and Nelson Ortiz. Matthew Trahan has also been put on leave.
Gomez is the third member of the department’s Internal Affairs Division to be investigated in the matter; the others are Cmdr. Mark Landavazo and a lieutenant who has not been publicly identified. Landavazo has been put on leave, the lieutenant was transferred to another division within the APD.
None of the officers have so far been formally charged with a crime.
The primary administrative investigation was initiated Jan. 19. APD Commander Kyle Hartsock is overseeing the investigations, which will be submitted to Eric Garcia, superintendent of police reform, to determine whether department policies were followed.
APD has created an internal affairs task force to conduct all administrative investigations into alleged misconduct by current and former DWI officers.
Defense attorney Thomas Clear III has also been named in the probe — but not charged.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office will determine whether any criminal charges will be filed against individuals accused of violating federal laws.