Judge sets strict release terms for Los Alamos man facing 28 felony counts

House arrest, electronic monitoring and no permission to work now govern Tim Pacheco’s release as his 28 first-degree felony counts move toward trial in Santa Fe.

First Judicial District Court Judge Anastasia Martin set those conditions Friday, May 23, after prosecutors Kent Wahlquist and Elizabeth Counce and defense attorney Thomas Clark stipulated the terms. The order did not dismiss the case or resolve the allegations on the merits. It put strict limits on Pacheco’s movements while the court keeps control of a case that has drawn close attention in Los Alamos.

Pacheco, 63, of Los Alamos, was charged May 7 by Los Alamos Police Department Detective Ladislas Szabo after what investigators described as a lengthy and detailed investigation. The charges cover 28 counts of criminal sexual penetration in the first degree and are tied to alleged incidents said to span 1986 through 1995 involving two juvenile male victims.

The statute at issue is one of New Mexico’s most serious sex-crime charges. State law classifies criminal sexual penetration in the first degree as a first-degree felony when the conduct involves a child under 13 or force or coercion that results in great bodily harm or great mental anguish. The release terms imposed Friday reflect the gravity of those allegations and the court’s effort to control risk while the case proceeds.

The practical effect is that Pacheco is not returning to ordinary life while the case advances. House arrest, electronic monitoring and the bar on working place him under continuous court supervision as the district court moves toward the next stages of the prosecution.

Martin’s role also carries local significance. She joined the First Judicial District Court on June 17, 2025, after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed her to replace retired Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer. Before that, Martin served as chief deputy district attorney in Rio Arriba County and as general counsel for the state Aging and Long-Term Services Department.

New Mexico’s pretrial rules require district courts to set release conditions promptly after arrest in district court cases and favor the least restrictive terms that still address appearance and public-safety concerns. The state Supreme Court also revised those rules in May 2024 to strengthen reconsideration procedures when a defendant is rearrested while already on release in another case.

For Los Alamos residents, the hearing marked a clear turn in a high-stakes case: the allegations are now under active judicial supervision, and the path ahead runs through the First Judicial District Court rather than ending with the arrest.