PORTALES, NM -- Former Captain of the Portales Police Department, Lonnie Berry, who was arrested in December, pled guilty (no contest) to three 4th degree felony counts of Tampering with Public Records.
The charges came after an investigation was conducted by the Ninth Judicial District Attorney's Office and the New Mexico State Police, when it was alleged someone was destroying traffic citations issued by Portales police officers.
It was discovered during the investigation that on three different occasions last year, officers issued traffic tickets to Mary Romano, a Portales resident, and on all three occasions the citations would be delivered to the Portales Police Department records division to be properly filed with the right court before they would come up missing.
Agent's with the District Attorney's office interviewed Berry about the situation before he ultimately confessed to removing and disposing of Romano's three separate citations.
According to New Mexico law, any person that knowingly destroys, conceals, mutilates or removes without lawful authority any public record that is to be received or kept by any public authority for information, record or law is guilty of a fourth degree felony.
As part of his plea agreement, Berry has agreed to never apply or work with any form of law enforcement again, as well as forfeit his law enforcement certification immediately.
Berry was ordered to pay a fine of $500, the same amount the total fines and fees of the traffic citations he destroyed, and be placed on 18 months of probation.
