RR woman to be federally prosecuted for arms, drug possession

A Rio Rancho woman was charged for illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition while using controlled substances.

Courtney Leigh Sparks, 39, appeared before a federal judge July 23 and will be placed on conditions of release in the third-party custody of a halfway house pending trial, which has not been scheduled.

The case goes back to an Albuquerque arrest in March.

According to court documents, on March 15 the Albuquerque Police Department arrested Sparks for driving under the influence of alcohol after she collided into an Albuquerque Fire and Rescue truck. APD searched her vehicle and found the following:

• A loaded Colt .38 caliber special revolver
• Three open bottles of alcohol
• A narcotics pipe

Then, on May 22, the Rio Rancho Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Team informed the FBI about recent interactions with Sparks. These interactions concerned Sparks’ desire to create a “Molotov cocktail,” her possession of weapons, ongoing drug use and intent to harm others with explosives.

On May 14, the RRPD CIT received information that Sparks was attempting to collect gunpower from fireworks to build a bomb. RRPD and the FBI determined Sparks was a long-time user of narcotics, including methamphetamine and fentanyl, that she was also using at the time of her March arrest.

New Mexico State Police arrested Sparks May 27 in Rio Arriba County for driving while intoxicated. During a search of her vehicle, troopers found:

• One box of .38 special ammunition
• One box of 12-gauge shotgun shells
• Two hatchets
• One throwing knife
• One machete
• Three pocketknives
• Two glass pipes
• Various items related to marijuana use

If convicted of the current charges, Sparks faces up to 15 years in prison for each offense.