Deputy felled in gunbattle back at work

LOVINGTON, N.M. (KRQE) - A Lea County Sheriff's deputy shot twice in the line of duty received a high honor Thursday.

Sgt. Michael Tovar and other SWAT team members were ambushed while serving a high-risk search warrant tied to two murder cases .  Those cases remain unsolved.

"With great honor, I present the Purple Heart to Sgt. Michael Tovar, and I applaud your efforts with your speedy return and continued dedication to the citizens of Lea County," Lea County Sheriff Mark Hargrove said at the County Commission meeting in Lovington.

The big honor came at a big price.  Tovar took two bullets in a shootout, one to his right arm and the other in his neck. 

"Every day you go to work, you prepare yourself knowing that you might not be able to come home at the end of your shift," Tovar said. "You prepare yourself and your family for those situations."

It's a risk he and others volunteer and train for in anticipation of nights like the one at a mobile home on East Everglade Street in Hobbs last November.

SWAT members from the sheriff's department and Hobbs Police Department were serving a warrant related to the murders of Mark Walters, 48, and Charlie Michael Molina, 18, whose bodies were found days apart in neighboring Chaves County.

It was dark as the SWAT team approached the trailer occupied by Juan Uribe-Vidal and James Gomez .  Officers said as soon as they deployed flash-bangs, bullets started flying. 

"It was nerve racking; it changes everything you're doing," Tovar recalled. "Not only do you have to worry about your life right now, but being able to control your emotions."

Tovar made it out and was airlifted to a Lubbock, Texas, hospital where he was treated for his injuries.

"It's a huge thing, it's difficult to try to continue to execute a mission like that when we know that one of our brothers is hurt," Hobbs SWAT Commander Sgt. Clipper Miller said.

Uribe-Vidal, 25, and James Gomez, 22, were both arrested and charged with aggravated battery and assault on a peace officer after allegedly fired about 18 rounds at the officers. Vidal remains a person of interest in the murders.

After a seven week recovery, Tovar is glad to be back. His comrades said they're thankful he is with them again.

"It's an honor, but I believe that this honor was also not just mine but as a team," said Tovar. "It's one big brotherhood."

Multiple agencies are investigating the Chaves County homicide cases. Authorities are waiting on lab results from the Hobbs shootout to possibly link evidence to the murders.

So far, no one has been charged in those homicides.