Las Cruces Man Faces Federal Firearms Charge
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and James VanVliet, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, announced today that Delbert Tyler Trevino was charged with possession of an unregistered short barrel rifle. Trevino, 31, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, appeared in federal court today for a detention hearing and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
According to a criminal complaint, in response to a report of suspicious activity, investigators with the Doña Ana Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant for a residence in Mesilla Park, where Trevino was house sitting. While conducting the search on Sept. 2, deputies located a multi-caliber rifle in the bedroom in which Trevino was staying.
Investigators concluded that the barrel of the rifle was only 13 inches. Rifles with a barrel length under 16 inches are considered short barrel rifles and must be registered in the National Firearms and Transfer Record. A query of the record indicated that the rifle was not registered.
A complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Trevino faces up to 10 years in prison.
The Las Cruces Field Office of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated this case with assistance from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office and the Las Cruces Police Department. Anyone with information relating to this matter is encouraged to contact ATF at 1-888-ATF-TIPS or ATFTips@atf.gov.
Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Y. Armijo and Luke Rizzo Cascio are prosecuting the case.
