Rio Rancho driver faces seventh DWI after speeding stop

A speeding stop on Unser near Westside turned into another repeat-DWI case when Rio Rancho police say Gregory Hagman was pulled over just after 10 p.m. on June 11, 2026, after being recorded 11 miles over the speed limit. Officers said the stop quickly escalated once the driver’s record and behavior came into view.

Police said Hagman admitted he had been drinking and told the officer he was coming from Marble. He refused both a field sobriety test and a breath test, and officers noted that his license was revoked. Hagman also acknowledged that he should not have been driving, a detail that turned a traffic violation into a much larger criminal case.

What makes the case stand out in Sandoval County is Hagman’s history. Police said he had already been arrested six previous times for DWI, and court records show he pleaded guilty twice in 2015 to a fourth DWI. That record placed him far beyond a first or second offense and into the category of repeat impaired driving that New Mexico law treats much more harshly.

Under state law, a fourth or subsequent DWI conviction is a fourth-degree felony. Refusing chemical testing can also be treated as an aggravated DWI factor. New Mexico’s Motor Vehicle Division says a fourth and subsequent DWI offense carries a lifetime license revocation, and reinstatement cannot even be considered until a driver completes six consecutive months of driving with an ignition interlock license without any attempt to circumvent or tamper with the device. State safety materials also say ignition interlock requirements apply to every DWI conviction in New Mexico, including first-time offenders.

The broader numbers show why repeat cases like Hagman’s remain a public-safety concern. New Mexico courts adjudicated 8,809 DWI cases in 2023, with 68.8% ending in convictions. In 2024, courts handled 10,041 DWI cases and convicted defendants in 68% of them. State data also show 9,465 total DWI arrests in 2024, including 3,385 repeat DWI arrests.

Sandoval County’s DWI and Prevention Program offers treatment at no cost and works with the Sandoval County Magistrate Court, the Cuba Magistrate Court and tribal courts in the county. Rio Rancho and New Mexico courts also provide public-access portals for case information, and the Thirteenth Judicial District Court says public records in Sandoval County are available under the Inspection of Public Records Act.

Hagman was released while he awaits trial, leaving the case to move forward through a system that continues to confront habitual drunk driving before it turns into a crash on Rio Rancho streets.