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LAS CRUCES - A concealed-firearms instructor has been charged with driving drunk with two loaded firearms in his vehicle.
Michael Gonzales Jr., 43, is the owner of Security Concepts, which provides security for the public schools, the city and, until recently, New Mexico State University.
A deputy pulled over Gonzales' 2008 Jeep at 11:05 p.m. Jan. 21 near Mesilla on West University Avenue when he noticed the driver had his brights on and hadn't turned them off when flashed by another motorist, according to a Do a Ana Sheriff's Office report. The deputy reported a "fairly pronounced" odor of alcohol, even over Gonzales' gum, but Gonzales initially denied drinking, the report said.
"I'm coming from the Las Cruces Convention Center," he told the deputy, according to the report. "I'm on my way to go check on my guys; I am the owner of Las Cruces Security Concepts and I am en route to go see if they are all on their posts."
The convention center was hosting the 2011 annual banquet for the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce that night.
Questioned further, Gonzales admitted to drinking a single beer at the convention center, but the deputy reported Gonzales had "bloodshot, watery eyes and he was fumbling through his paperwork." In sobriety tests, Gonzales was allegedly unable to walk a straight line or stand on one leg without hopping and swaying. After demanding his lawyer be present during the breathalyzer test - which isn't allowed, under state law, because the
During a search of the Jeep, the deputies found an unloaded Phoenix Arms long rifle under the passenger seat, a loaded Charter Arms .38 Special and a Kel-Tec 9 mm Luger, which was not only loaded but had a round in the chamber, the report said.
Gonzales was charged with aggravated drunken driving, negligent use of a firearm and failure to dim his headlights. He was released from jail the next day on a $1,000 surety bond, according to the Do a Ana County Detention Center.
Mayor Ken Miyagishima said Gonzales' company provides armed security guards at the new City Hall, but was uncertain if Gonzales' charges would affect their contract.
"That's strictly a management call," Miyagishima said.
Las Cruces Public Schools also contracts with Security Concepts to handle fingerprinting and background checks. The business also provides mobile and stationary security at night and at athletic events, said the school district's security director Todd Gregory, who said the charges could affect the company's licensure with the state.
Gregory said it was too early to say if that contract would be renewed, but the arrest "could affect it eventually."
New Mexico State University briefly had a contract with Security Concepts, but severed that agreement just before the end of 2010.
Gonzales is also a former criminal investigator under former District Attorney Greg Valdez and the son of Michael Gonzales Sr., a former Mesilla town marshal and proprietor of the Welcome Inn. The father and son were arrested in 1999 on racketeering and other charges in an investigation of crime in public housing that turned up allegations of illegality at the downtown Las Cruces bar.
After a seven-year ordeal, the charges against the Gonzaleses were dropped by a special prosecutor because so many witnesses were no longer available. The bar closed its doors in 2007.
Ashley Meeks can be reached at (575) 541-5462
