Fire chief charged with impersonating a police officer

Will this finally be the end for Valencia County (New Mexico) Fire Chief Stephen Gonzales? Will criminal charges finally result in his firing?

You may remember Chief Gonzales and two of this deputy chiefs for how well they represented their department at FDIC this year. That’s when some racy pictures of the trio were taken during a lunch in uniform (see images below). While his boss wanted Gonzales to resign over the incident (after an initial suspension) the chief stayed on the job.

Previously:

Rule #1: What happens at FDIC doesn’t stay at FDIC – NM chief & two deputies suspended

Fire chief asked to resign over FDIC photos but refuses & puts up Facebook fight

New Mexico fire chief in trouble at FDIC now investigated for playing cop

Gonzales was placed on paid leave but still didn’t resign when a police chief recently went public with an accusation that Gonzales was caught playing police officer. Actually, Chief Gonzales busted himself when he called on the radio for backup after stopping a woman for speeding. Now those accusations have resulted in a criminal charge.

KRQE:

Earlier this month, Valencia County fire Chief Stephen Gonzales allegedly pulled over a driver on I-25 in Los Lunas for driving erratically. He does not have the authority to pull people over.

KRQE News 13 confirmed Tuesday that Gonzales is facing a misdemeanor charge of impersonating an officer and false imprisonment, a fourth degree felony.

He has been summoned to appear in court.