Elkins to be sentenced this Friday

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — A Casa Blanca man who led police on a high-speed chase in March 2006, resulting in an injury to a Grants police officer, will be sentenced as part of a plea agreement for that case and another at 1:30 p.m., Friday in the 13th Judicial District Court here.

Kolby Elkins, 30, has pleaded guilty to one fourth-degree felony count each of aggravated fleeing from a law enforcement officer, aggravated battery of a police officer, aggravated assault of a police officer; and two counts of unlawful taking of a motor vehicle.

He could face up to a total of 10.5 years in state prison if 13th Judicial District Judge Camille Martinez-Olguin orders the maximum sentence.

Deputy District Attorney Randolph M. Collins said he will ask for prison time and probation. He would not give any further details about what he plans to ask of the court and said that information will be presented in court Friday.

Charges of tampering with evidence, possession of burglary tools and two counts of receiving a stolen vehicle were dropped as part of the plea agreement, Collins said.

The second case
The second case, from June 2005, involving an arrest in connection with one felony count each of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine; and a misdemeanor, possession of drug paraphernalia, has been combined with the 2006 case, Collins said.

Part of the plea agreement includes Elkins pleading guilty to possession of methamphetamine, and dropping the other two charges, he said.

In regard to the prison time and probation time Collins plans to ask of the court, he said, "We need to send a strong message that such crimes as this (stealing vehicles, fleeing police and battery and assault on police officers) will not be tolerated."

The chaseIn March 2006 Grants police responded to a call at the Super 8 Motel about a possible stolen vehicle from the Coyote del Malpais Golf Course, from the night before, according to Cibola County Magistrate Court records.

Police were informed the vehicle had been driven to Wal-Mart while they were responding to the call, court records state.

The city pickup truck, driven by Elkins, drove past one of the officers at a high rate of speed heading onto East Santa Fe Avenue. At that point, Elkins drove further east on Santa Fe and then east on Interstate 40, leading officers, including Grants Police and New Mexico State Police on a chase to State Route 117, where he turned south, according to court records.

The chase ended at Mile Marker 56, or about two miles south of Interstate 40. Elkins then ran from the truck leading officers on a foot chase, injuring one officer when he tried to arrest Elkins., according to court records.

Elkins had removed the government license plate, the decals and the tailgate from the city of Grants golf course maintenance vehicle, a Ford F250 white pickup, as well as a government license plate from a Yamaha four-wheeler which he stole from the National Park Service that day.

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin call (505) 287-2197 or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com