Truck driver charged in fatal I-40 crash that killed BCSO sergeant

A traffic stop on eastbound Interstate 40 turned deadly when a tractor-trailer struck the rear of a marked Bernalillo County sheriff’s vehicle and pinned Sgt. Michael Schlattman underneath it near Carnuel, exposing the risks first responders and commuters face along one of the metro’s busiest corridors.

Rio Rancho police said the crash happened just before or around 5 p.m. on Feb. 23, 2026, while Schlattman, 52, was outside his patrol car. The impact caused fatal injuries. Investigators said the truck did not brake before striking the vehicle, and they found no mechanical problems in either vehicle.

The driver was identified as Miguel Orlando Perez, who holds a valid Florida Class A commercial driver’s license. Police said the truck was traveling about 64 mph. They cited inattention, sun glare and the positioning of the patrol vehicle as contributing factors in the crash. Based on their findings, investigators recommended charges for careless driving and said probable cause existed for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, also described as operation of a vehicle on approach of an emergency vehicle.

The Rio Rancho Police Department handled the investigation to avoid a conflict of interest, then turned its findings over to the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office. The case has drawn attention well beyond the badge because it unfolded on a commuter route that carries Sandoval County drivers, Bernalillo County residents and East Mountains traffic through the same narrow window of roadway hazard.

Schlattman had been with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office since 2012 and became a sergeant in 2024. Sheriff John Allen said Schlattman was a leader who worked hard to improve the agency and help deputies. The death, Allen said, was every law enforcement agency’s worst nightmare, a loss that hit both the sheriff’s office and the families who depend on highway safety enforcement.

Hundreds gathered later at the Rio Rancho Events Center for memorial and funeral services. Local tow-truck drivers also organized a roadside memorial to honor Schlattman and push awareness of the state’s Move Over Law, which is meant to protect officers, tow operators and other responders working on the shoulder or in live traffic.

The crash has also renewed scrutiny of New Mexico’s broader roadway safety record. State transportation officials have said the state has ranked among the nation’s worst for traffic deaths and pedestrian fatalities, a reminder that a lapse in attention on I-40 can have consequences far beyond one enforcement stop.