Rio Rancho police send fatal I-40 crash findings to prosecutors

Rio Rancho police have closed the fatal I-40 investigation that killed Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Michael Schlattman and sent their findings to prosecutors, saying the evidence supports charges against driver Miguel Orlando Perez. The report said no mechanical failure was found in either the semi-truck or the patrol vehicle, putting the crash squarely on driver conduct and roadside safety.

The collision happened near Carnuel as Schlattman was working a traffic stop on Interstate 40. Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office said he radioed that he was conducting the stop just before 5 p.m. on Feb. 23, 2026. A semi-truck struck the rear of his department-issued vehicle, pushed it into Schlattman and caused fatal injuries. The crash shut down Interstate 40 for more than 12 hours, a reminder of how quickly a roadside stop on a major corridor can become a regional emergency.

According to Rio Rancho police, the semi was traveling about 64 miles per hour and no brakes were applied before impact. Investigators said they found probable cause to charge Perez with careless driving and with operating a vehicle in the presence of a moving authorized emergency vehicle. Those findings were delivered to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and then sent to the Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office for review.

The case also puts New Mexico’s Move Over law back in focus. The state statute, NMSA 66-7-332, requires drivers to slow down and move over for authorized emergency vehicles, a standard meant to protect deputies, officers and firefighters working along fast-moving highways. With no mechanical problem identified, the crash raises harder questions about whether drivers on Interstate 40 are complying with that law and whether more public education or enforcement is needed on one of the state’s busiest routes.

Schlattman’s death hit the law-enforcement community across Sandoval County and beyond. Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office said he had been hired on April 16, 2012, promoted to sergeant on July 13, 2024, and was serving in the East Mountains at the time of his death. He had also worked in Special Investigations and Auto Theft and served as a task force officer with the U.S. Marshals Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

A memorial service on March 2 at the Rio Rancho Events Center drew hundreds and nearly every law-enforcement agency in New Mexico, including personnel from Rio Rancho police and the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office. As prosecutors now review the case, the findings leave behind more than a fatal crash file. They sharpen the debate over emergency-vehicle safety, roadside training and how much public warning is enough to keep a routine stop from becoming a death scene.