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During a morning traffic stop on Loma Larga Rd. on Aug. 29, Corrales Police Department found two sticks of dynamite in the car of a Tres Piedras resident. The discovery prompted responses from APD Bomb Squad and Federal law enforcement. The suspect was arrested and now faces charges.
51-year-old Dezy George was pulled over by Corrales Police for speeding. George was arrested after police discovered that he was driving with a revoked license. George was also required to drive with an installed interlock device due to a DUI and did not have one installed in the vehicle that he was driving.
As police began to search the car, two sticks of dynamite were discovered in a shopping bag. Two rifles and a 12-gauge shotgun were also found but police believe he possessed them legally. However, “It [the dynamite] was not properly labeled, as required by law, for the transportation of explosives,†Corrales Chief of Police Victor Mangiacapra said.
Corrales Fire Department, APD Bomb Squad, ATF and FBI were called in to assist CPD. “The area was cordoned off, the people living within 500 feet of the traffic stop were evacuated and then everyone else was alerted by CodeRED and Nextdoor of the situation and instructed to avoid the area,†Chief Mangiacapra said. While alerts were sent out via public safety apps, the situation was never mentioned in the police department’s weekly crime and safety update. Chief Mangiacapra said it would have felt “redundant†to include it in the report as well.
The dynamite will be detonated in a controlled environment at a later date.
George was booked into Sandoval County Detention Center on charges of speeding in a business or residential area, driving while license revoked and unlawful sale, possession or transportation of explosives. George pleaded not guilty to all charges and according to Sandoval County Detention Center officials, he was released on Aug. 31 by a court order.
According to the conditions of his release he is required to notify the court of a change in address and maintain contact with his attorney. George is not permitted to possess any firearms or dangerous weapons and cannot drive without a valid drivers license. George must also stay in either Bernalillo County, Sandoval County, Taos County, Santa Fe County and Rio Arriba County.
After his release, on Sept. 22 George was charged with aggravated DWI, negligent use of a deadly weapon (intoxication) and possession of drug paraphernalia. The charges were filed under the Taos Magistrate Court. Robert Fitzgerald, who is prosecuting the case, declined to comment as to how the state will proceed with the charges. A preliminary hearing was set for Oct. 13.
These are not George’s first run-ins with law enforcement. According to court records, George has found himself before the Taos Magistrate Court seven times in the last 12 years. He has been found guilty of harassment, DWI and pled guilty to driving while license revoked in 2021.