Man resigns from state
police amid allegations
EL PASO, TEXAS (KRQE) - A
former New Mexico State Police officer is under investigation for allegedly
drugging and raping two women, according to News 13 sources.
Joe Ballesteros, 44,
resigned from state police just last month and has not been charged with any
crime.
But sources familiar with
the investigation, who requested anonymity, told News 13 that two women have
come forward in the last year claiming to have met Ballesteros at bars in El
Paso, Texas, and agreed to go home with him to his house in Santa Teresa, NM.
However, that is the last thing the women said they remembered before waking up
later at Ballesteros’ home, the sources said.
The women told police they
suspected they were given some kind of date-rape drug, then sexually assaulted
and possibly raped, the sources said.
The women filed police reports
with the El Paso Police Department, which refused to comment on the case. The
City of El Paso also refused to release the police reports, saying that one of
the incidents – which occurred March 30 at Ballesteros’ home in Santa Teresa –
remains under investigation by El Paso police.
The city made no mention of
the incident that allegedly occurred a year ago, according to letters sent to
News 13.
Ballesteros worked for New
Mexico State Police for a little more than a decade in Santa Fe, Farmington,
Deming and Las Cruces. Investigators don’t know if there are other victims in
those areas, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
However, when New Mexico
State Police found out about the allegations against Ballesteros, the agency
began the process to fire him. Ballesteros resigned before that process was
completed. He did not give a reason for his resignation and state police
declined to comment.
News 13 tracked down
Ballesteros at his home in Santa Teresa and asked him if he would talk about
the allegations against him.
“I have no idea about
anything,” he said, after answering the door wearing a T-shirt advertising an
El Paso bar.
Asked why he resigned from
state police, he said, “I have no idea. I’d rather not talk to you,” and shut
the door.