LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Today, District Attorney Mark D’Antonio announced that a grand jury has indicted a New Mexico man accused of leading authorities on a crime spree before escaping from a Las Cruces hospital.
Michael Derby, 24, was recently indicted on four counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer, all third-degree felonies, one count of receiving a stolen vehicle, a fourth-degree felony and two counts of aggravated fleeing from law enforcement, also both fourth-degree felonies.
Last month, the defendant allegedly led authorities on a pair of pursuits to and from El Paso, Texas. He was arrested by Las Cruces police but escaped from Medical Memorial Center while in the custody of detention center guards.
According to investigators with the Las Cruces Police Department, the defendant fled on foot to a gas station where he stole a pickup truck and horse trailer before being arrested for a second time that week.
As a result, he was also indicted on one count of escape from a peace officer and one count of unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, both fourth-degree felonies, and one count of cruelty to animals, a misdemeanor.
Information from Third Judicial District Attorney's office