NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A male suspect was shot by State Police earlier this week in Santa Rosa. KRQE News 13 is now learning more about some of the charges he is facing. His sister is also being charged with forging medical documents at her work to try and get him out of jail.
Refugita Eloisa Chavez is being charged with two counts of forgery after sending fake doctor’s notes to the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office, suggesting her brother be released because of medical conditions.
On Monday morning, New Mexico State police dragged 47-year-old Robert Lee Chavez out of his Santa Rosa home. They were serving a warrant for Chavez in an auto-theft case, and they say Chavez threw explosives at them. When he walked out of the house holding another one, an officer fired at least one shot injuring Chavez. He then barricaded himself inside a neighboring house.
His sister, Refugita Eloisa, sent KRQE News 13 video of the arrest that she shot on her cellphone. She’s now facing charges of her own, for sending fake doctor’s notes to the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office in an attempt to get her brother released from custody. The criminal complaint says Refugita created the fake notes at work, at the Guadalupe County Hospital. The note saying, “Incarceration is going to lead to serious health issues.” Investigators say the note was signed by a fake doctor.
When the fraudulent notes were sent to the Sheriff’s Office, Robert Chavez was behind bars for being a felon with a gun and damaging a police cruiser. He was released while he awaited trial for that case.
Chavez was arrested in 2017 after attacking two State Police Officers and trying to run over five more. He was sentenced to three years of probation in that case.
Both siblings are now facing two counts of forgery for the fake doctor’s notes. Her first appearance will be April 12. Authorities were alerted to the fake documents because the letterhead did not match, and found security camera video of Chavez at the hospital faxing paperwork at the time the fake documents were sent.
