Las Cruces tattoo shop owner arrested in alleged sexual assault of teen

A 42-year-old Las Cruces tattoo shop owner was taken into custody after investigators say a 19-year-old customer was given liquor at Porter House Ink and Tattoo, then sexually abused after other employees left the building. Police say the woman left the shop, reported the incident to Las Cruces police and triggered a state-police investigation. ([kfoxtv.com](kfoxtv.com/news/local/las-cruces-tattoo-artist-jailed-on-charges-of-sexual-abuse-of-customer-state-police-say))

Billy J. Porter, also identified as Billy Joe Porter, was arrested April 10 and booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center. He faces four counts of criminal sexual penetration, one count of criminal sexual contact and one count of selling or giving alcoholic beverages to a minor. ([kfoxtv.com](kfoxtv.com/news/local/las-cruces-tattoo-artist-jailed-on-charges-of-sexual-abuse-of-customer-state-police-say))

For customers across Northern New Mexico, the case is a reminder that tattoo businesses are regulated statewide, not just by storefront reputation. New Mexico’s Board of Body Art Practitioners licenses tattoo artists, establishments, apprentices, guest artists and special events, and the board says it investigates public complaints and can discipline licensees when safety or sanitation rules are violated. ([rld.nm.gov](rld.nm.gov/boards-and-commissions/individual-boards-and-commissions/body-art-practitioners/))

State rules require a body art establishment to be under the immediate supervision of a board-licensed practitioner while work is being done, and the application must include a current city or county business license, CPR, first aid and bloodborne-pathogen certificates and proof of immunizations. The rules also say the board can inspect establishments during regular business hours, and a board-issued license and the establishment name and hours of operation must be kept on file on the premises for inspection. ([law.cornell.edu](law.cornell.edu/regulations/new-mexico/N-M-Admin-Code-SS-16.36.3.9))

That paperwork matters because New Mexico’s body-art rules set minimum standards, but municipalities can impose stricter ones. The department also provides a license-verification portal and complaint process, which gives customers a way to check whether a shop and its artists are properly licensed before a session starts. ([srca.nm.gov](srca.nm.gov/parts/title16/16.036.0001.pdf))