By Regina Ruiz
MILAN, N.M. —A local police
officer is facing serious charges after a night of drinking over Christmas took
a disturbing turn, according to investigators.
Milan police Officer James Watters,
25, is accused of getting an underage woman drunk and forcing her to perform
oral sex. The officer's mother swears her son is innocent.
"He goes, 'I promise, I
promise.' He goes, 'This is my life, this is my job.' I don't know, I don't
know what to think. This isn't James," Angela Hedrick said. "A part
of me wants to have so much faith in James, but then something happened because
why would he be in there?"
According to New Mexico State
Police agents, it all happened Christmas Eve.
Watters, Grants Police Sgt.
Jessie Nieto and Jessie Terrazaz -- a former court security officer for the
Cibola County Sheriff's Department -- picked up a 20-year-old woman.
All four allegedly drove to
Grants High School and drank alcohol.
The victim told investigators
the men kept asking her to perform oral sex or possibly have a threesome or
foursome. She told the men she didn't want to do it.
Agents said that at one
point the word rape was used and that's
when Nieto asked to be taken home. They dropped him off, but investigators said
the night didn't end there.
According to the statement of
probable cause, the victim told police she was brought to the New Mexico State
University Grants Campus, she was given more alcohol and told police she was
sexually assaulted.
Investigators said Terrazaz
made the woman sexually touch him and Watters then forced her to perform oral
sex on him.
Both men spent Christmas Day
giving their side of the story to state police and both ended up behind bars.
"I honestly feel that my
son didn't do it. But, only time will tell. The truth will come out. That's
what I am waiting for," Hedrick said.
Watters has been with the Milan
Police Department for about five months. His mother tells Action 7 News before
that he was a firefighter for about four years and has three small children.
As of Friday night, Watters was
still behind bars.
The Cibola County Sheriff's
Department said Terrazaz was fired from the department years ago for
misconduct. It was related to a domestic violence incident.
