RR man arrested for dragging Bernalillo officer with car

BERNALILLO — Bernalillo police officers arrested a Rio Rancho man June 29 for allegedly dragging an officer with his car during a welfare check.

Jose De Herrera, 42, of Rio Rancho, was charged with aggravated battery upon a peace officer with a deadly weapon, aggravated fleeing law enforcement and resisting arrest at the intersection of US 550 and State Road 313 in Bernalillo.

According to a criminal complaint, police found Herrera passed out at the wheel of a vehicle near the intersection, noting he was slumped over in the driver seat through several cycles of the traffic light.

When an officer approached the vehicle and knocked on the window, he abruptly woke up and fled the scene in the vehicle, dragging the officer approximately 10 feet on the asphalt, before the officer fell in the middle of the intersection, the complaint states.

Another officer attempted to pull over Herrera, who allegedly failed to yield, ran a stoplight and drove in a reckless manner. He came to a stop near Don Tomas and US 550 after the officer chased him for a quarter mile.

Herrera resisted officers when they tried to get him out of the vehicle, forcing officers to physically remove him. He also continued to resist while on the ground, according to the complaint, but offers were able to make the arrest.

Herrera could face more than five years in prison if he is convicted.