ALBUQUERQUE - Sean Stinson, 32, of El Paso, Texas, made his initial appearance today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., on a criminal complaint charging him with using interstate communications to threaten the lives and safety of Las Cruces Police Department (LCPD) officers. Stinson remains in custody pending a preliminary hearing and a detention hearing, which have not yet been scheduled.
Stinson was arrested on Sept. 2, 2016, for allegedly making telephone calls from El Paso to individuals in Las Cruces during which he threatened the lives of LCPD officers. According to the criminal complaint, Stinson allegedly had several telephone calls, some of which were recorded, with LCPD officers during which Stinson allegedly threatened to shoot, kill and otherwise injure specific officers. It also alleges that, during one call, Stinson threatened to station himself at the LCPD with a sniper rifle and shoot officers as they left the police department. The complaint further alleges that Stinson also made telephone calls to the Governor’s Office during which he reiterated his threats to harm LCPD officers.
If convicted of the charges in the criminal complaint, Stinson faces a statutory maximum penalty of five years in prison. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the LCPD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
