Indicted Bosque Farms police lieutenant appeals termination

A Bosque Farms police lieutenant is still on paid administrative leave after being charged with criminal sexual penetration in November.

Lt. Ricky Dominguez, 41, of Los Lunas, was arrested and booked into the Valencia County Detention Center on Nov. 3, 2025, after allegedly having sexual intercourse with 21-year-old Los Lunas woman without her consent.

The village of Bosque Farms moved forward with immediate termination of Dominguez the day after his arrest, BFPD Chief Andrew Owen said, due to the severity of the charges.

As of Tuesday, Jan. 27, Dominguez remains on paid administrative leave as the termination process plays out.

Owen said a Loudermill hearing was conducted prior to the Christmas holiday. The hearing is part of the due process requirement for public employees before they are subject to severe discipline. During a Loudermill hearing, the employee has the opportunity to present their side of the story before the employer makes a discipline decision.

“(Dominguez) appealed the mayor’s decision (to terminate),” said Chief Owen. “Now we’re waiting on a (village) personnel board hearing.”

Bosque Farms Mayor Chris Gillespie said a potential personnel board hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 9, but that date could change.

“We have been working back and forth between a couple of attorneys,” Gillespie said, referencing the attorneys representing the village and Dominguez respectively. “Hopefully, it will happen then.”

According to the village’s personnel policy, appeal hearings are conducted during an open meeting of the board unless the appellant asks it to be closed. Gillespie said at this point, Dominguez hasn’t indicated whether he wants the meeting to be open or closed.

The Los Lunas Police Department began a criminal investigation into Dominguez on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, after the woman came to the LLPD station to report the alleged sexual assault. The lieutenant, who has worked for the village since October 2017, was placed on paid administrative leave that same day.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit filed in Los Lunas Magistrate Court on Nov. 4, 2025, Dominguez initiated a traffic stop of the victim while she was driving through the village of Bosque Farms.

The woman told investigators there was information missing from the speeding citation Dominguez issued, so she contacted him. He voided the citation without her asking.

She said he began texting her daily, which led to regular phone and text conversations. The two met for a consensual sexual encounter in early October 2025, the woman told LLPD officers, but when she met him for a second time about a week later, he penetrated her without consent.

During the investigation, LLPD obtained a warrant for data extraction from Dominguez’s cellphone. They found text messages between the two, as well as a video of the assault Dominguez made without the woman’s knowledge or consent.

“During the encounter, Dominguez is seen penetrating (the victim) ... (she) is heard saying, ‘Stop, it hurts. ..’” the affidavit reads.

The court record stated when she was putting her clothes on and preparing to leave, she told Dominguez, “I said no.”

Dominguez allegedly hugged her while stating, “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again ... I just thought I would try it.”

The victim replied, “Absolutely not, no is no.”

On Nov. 5, 2025, Dominguez was released from the Valencia County Detention Center on his own personal recognizance.

Dominguez was indicted on one count of criminal sexual penetration in the third degree by a Valencia County grand jury on Jan 15.