RIO ARRIBA COUNTY, NM - Authorities said a Rio Arriba County Commissioner has been charged in connection with an accident that occurred in October, according to a report by KOB.
Brandon Bustos was arraigned recently on charges of failure to give immediate notice of accidents and leaving the scene of an accident (property damage)
The incident was reported on Oct. 13 at about 8:10 p.m., when Española Central Dispatch received an alert from an iPhone regarding a crash on Forest Road 306 near the Borrega Mesa Campground in Cordova.
Police said they arrived to find a truck belonging to Bustos wrecked at the scene, with beer cans in the vehicle. Bustos was not there.
He allegedly contacted the Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office the following day to report his truck had been stolen. But after questioning, sherff's deputies said he admitted leaving after crashing the truck.
Bustos, who is also an Española Public Schools Board member, is due back in court in March.
