An employee with the New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department is reportedly still actively working for the agency despite being charged with child abuse in April.
On April 16, responding Rio Rancho police officers allegedly caught Erica Martinez, 28, attacking her boyfriend amid an argument about cheating. The couple’s baby was present during the altercation — which Martinez’s boyfriend said entailed Martinez throwing a cinderblock through their sliding back door, according to KOAT.
Martinez reportedly accused her boyfriend, a Santa Fe police officer, of pinning her to the ground. Martinez was arrested on child abuse charges that day.
A spokesperson for Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham only told KOAT that CYFD conducted an independent investigation. What that investigation entailed — including its outcome — was not disclosed. It is also unclear whether the agency reviewed police’s bodycam footage during their probe.
KOAT reported that Martinez is facing five other charges, including battery and assault.
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[Featured image: Erica Martinez/Rio Rancho Police Department]
