The man suspected of being the driver responsible for a Sunday crash that killed renowned Tibetan Buddhist scholar Lobsang Lhalungpa is employed as a correctional officer at the state penitentiary south of Santa Fe.
A Department of Corrections spokeswoman said Tuesday that Roque Lucero, 40, of Santo Domingo Pueblo has not returned to work since the crash and that the department has opened its own internal investigation into Lucero's alleged involvement in the fatal wreck.
Lucero was hired in February to work at the penitentiary despite having multiple DWI convictions on his record.
Online records for the Santa Fe County jail show that Lucero also was incarcerated four times between 2000 and 2003 for "protective custody"— usually used for people who haven't committed a crime but need to be held until they sober up.
In one of Lucero's protective custody cases, the records indicate he was to be held "till sober."
Lucero has been identified by police as the driver of a pickup who fled the scene after plowing the vehicle into a Subaru station wagon in which Lhalungpa was riding on St. Michael's Drive about 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
Lhalungpa, 82, died Monday morning at St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. He worked for the Dalai Lama's Tibetan government in India and was designated a Santa Fe "living treasure" in 1998. He also had written or translated numerous books on Tibetan culture and Buddhism.
Police suspect alcohol may have been involved in the crash because they found open cans of beer inside the truck.
According to online court records, Lucero was found guilty of DWI in February 1992 and pleaded guilty to DWI charges from February 1989. Online Motor Vehicle Division records show another DWI charge in 2000.
Santa Fe Deputy Police Chief Aric Wheeler said Tuesday that police have not been able to contact Lucero.
"We know he works for the state penitentiary," Wheeler said. "We sent detectives to find him. But he hasn't been there (Sunday or Monday), so we don't know where he is."
Department of Corrections spokeswoman Tia Bland said that for DOC applicants to be considered for employment, they cannot have had a DWI within one year of applying and that a committee evaluates each applicant. Lucero apparently has not been arrested for DWI for several years.
"The fact that the last one he had was (about) seven years ago, the committee gave him a chance based on that," said Bland. Lucero was hired by the Penitentiary of New Mexico on Feb. 2.
A corrections employee who gets a DWI after hiring is either suspended or terminated, based on the severity of the incident, Bland said.
She said that she has received only "informal inquiries" from police regarding Lucero's involvement in the crash that killed Lhalungpa.
If police provide "formal information" to the DOC about the wreck, the department will take that into consideration during its internal investigation of Lucero.
"If he looks like he's the likely suspect (according to police), there doesn't even need to be a conviction (for termination)," Bland said.
No arrest warrant has been issued for Lucero.
Wheeler said the District Attorney's Office wants more information before putting out a warrant. That means that if police do catch up with Lucero, the most they can do is "bring him in for questioning, that's about it for right now," Wheeler said.
Three other people who were in the truck fled the crash scene along with Lucero, police said. Santa Nita and Louis Lucero were caught by responding officers. They were not arrested, and no charges have been filed against them .
Information provided by police Monday that a third person was caught was incorrect. Wheeler said police caught up with only two of the truck passengers and the third has not been identified.
Police believe that all four people who were in the truck are from Santo Domingo Pueblo.
