LLHS cafeteria worker found with gun on campus charged

LOS LUNAS — A Los Lunas High School cafeteria worker was charged with two felonies, including a weapons charge, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, in connection with an incident at Los Lunas High School on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

Sandra Wallace, 59, of Los Lunas, was charged with unlawful carrying a deadly weapon on school premises and possession of a controlled substance, both fourth-degree felonies, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor. Wallace was booked into the Valencia County Detention Center.

In a press release sent on Tuesday afternoon, the Los Lunas Schools acknowledged the district was investigating the incident at Los Lunas High School on Oct. 7, as well as a separate incident at Valencia High School on Monday, Oct. 6. The release confirmed that LLS administration “was alerted to and confirmed the presence of a firearm on each campus."

”Upon being notified of both situations, school and district officials as well as local law enforcement responded immediately to secure the campuses and begin thorough Investigations,” the district wrote in the release.

“Our commitment to the safety and well-being of our students and staff remains our highest priority;” said Los Lunas Schools Superintendent Susan D. Chavez in a statement. “We will take every necessary measure to maintain a secure environment across our district. It is imperative that all members of our community remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities. We take every report seriously, no matter how insignificant it may seem.”

Attempts by the News-Bulletin to get additional comment and information directly from the Los Lunas Schools were unsuccessful at the time of publishing online.

According to the criminal complaint, a Los Lunas Police officer was dispatched to LLHS Tuesday morning in reference to an adult on campus possessing a gun. Once at the high school, the officer conferred with school resource officers who said they’d been notified by school staff that a member of the cafeteria staff had a handgun in her locker in the break room.

LLHS SROs located the handgun, which was in a soft case inside Wallace's purse, and secured the weapon before speaking to Wallace, who was detained in the school’s main office.

During questioning, Wallace “began making statements about the gun,” according to the report. Officers stopped her and asked if she wanted to speak to officers. She “again began making statements without giving a yes or no answer,” according to the report.

When asked a final time if she wanted to speak to officers, she responded, “No, there’s nothing to say.”

A search of Wallace’s apron found a red pouch containing “a small glass pipe with burnt residue, commonly used to smoke methamphetamine,” the report stated. Also inside the pouch was a small metal container containing a “white, crystal substance,” which the officer described as “known to me through my training and experience as methamphetamine.”

Officers also spoke to two cafeteria employees, who stated Wallace had been “acting oddly that day.” When asked if she needed any help, Wallace "started getting mad and told the two employees she had a gun in her purse,” according to the report. Wallace eventually went to her locker and “attempted to pull” the gun out to show her co-workers. When they saw the gun, the employees left and told their supervisor.

After interviews were done, the officer placed Wallace in handcuffs and transported her to the Valencia County Detention Center, where she was booked.

Wallace made her first appearance before Judge Deseri Sichler in Los Lunas Magistrate Court Thursday morning, Oct. 9, and was released on her own recognizance that day. She will appear before Sichler again on Nov. 25 for a preliminary examination.