A Texas border city man who worked as a jail guard in New Mexico faces federal kidnapping charges for taking a woman by force across state lines. He is also accused of illegal possession of a firearm after a prior conviction.
Last week, a grand jury handed down a two-count indictment against 25-year-old Mathew Joseph Contreras on kidnapping and weapons charges. Contreras has been in federal custody since March 15, when authorities arrested him at the Otero County Detention Center in New Mexico and turned him over to El Paso Police.
He is expected to go before a federal judge this week for arraignment.
The case began on March 14, when Contreras allegedly kidnapped his girlfriend from her home in El Paso over infidelity allegations. According to information in both a criminal complaint and a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the victim was returning from work when Contreras assaulted her accusing her. Contreras reportedly used a handgun to beat the woman and held a knife to her throat. Both the FBI and El Paso police reported that the victim was assaulted numerous times by Contreras at her residence and along the drive from El Paso to Alamogordo.
Contreras allegedly forced the woman into a vehicle and drove her across state lines to Alamogordo, New Mexico, where he worked meeting at the Otero County Detention Center. Upon arrival, the victim was able to get help from Contreras’ fellow guards.
In addition to the kidnapping charge, Contreras had been convicted of family violence in 2016 in El Paso, which prevented him from being able to posses a firearm, court documents revealed.
Luisana Moreno is a contributing writer for Breitbart Texas.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.