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Former Deming police officer pleads guilty in child sexual exploitation case
Former Deming police officer Jesus Lopez Jr., left, is shown after his arrest on Dec. 5, 2024, in footage from a State Police officer’s body camera.
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A former Deming police officer pleaded guilty Tuesday, in federal court in Las Cruces, to receiving child pornography in a case stemming from alleged sexual abuse of a teenage girl.
Jesus Lopez Jr., 35, was arrested last December on a raft of charges alleging that over a period of eight months, while he was a police officer, he had engaged in an abusive relationship with the girl beginning when she was 16 years old, according to court filings.
Based on statements from the victim and her mother, prosecutors alleged that Lopez had used alcohol and threats of violence to coerce her into sex and engaged in emotional and physical abuse on multiple occasions.
The federal charges arose from evidence Lopez recorded himself engaging in sex with the child on several occasions, receiving more than 10 photos and videos from her mobile phone. At a future sentencing hearing, Lopez faces the prospect of five to 15 years in prison, a minimum of five years of supervised release and registration as a sexual offender.
In state district court, Lopez initially faced 15 charges, including distribution of media depicting sexual exploitation of a child, plus numerous counts of aggravated assault, battery, child abuse, false imprisonment, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and interfering with communications.
Court records indicate prosecutors in New Mexico’s 6th Judicial District dropped their case because of the federal prosecution.
The federal case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with the New Mexico State Police, U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison stated in a news release. The case was associated with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide program combatting child sexual exploitation and abuse, Ellison said.
