2018 Rape Case Receives Guilty Verdict

Portales, NM – Ninth Judicial District Attorney, Brian Scott Stover, announced that on July 14, 2022, Erasmo Vega, age 54, of Portales, was found Guilty by a jury of Criminal Sexual Penetration (3rd Degree Felony).

On December 15, 2018, law enforcement responded to a report of a Sexual Assault. The victim reported that Vega, an acquaintance, came over to her home to hang out and watch a movie. While watching the movie, Vega told her “You can give your love to your husband and give your body to me”. The female disregarded the comment and proceeded to fall asleep. She awoke to Vega on top of her taking off her clothes, at which point he proceeded to rape her.  The victim attempted to get Vega off of her by pushing him in the face, subsequently breaking a lens out of the eye-glasses Vega was wearing. During a search of the home, law enforcement were able to recover a single eye-glass lens that was located on the bed and photographed a small scratch on the female’s hand. Additionally, DNA was collected, and the results concluded that Vega’s DNA could be found on the female’s cheek and neck.

The Honorable Donna Mowrer presided over the Jury Trial and sentenced Erasmo Vega to the maximum punishment of 3 years in the Department of Corrections followed by lifetime parole and lifetime Sex Offender Registration. 

The case was prosecuted by Quentin Ray, Deputy District Attorney, and Erasmo Vega was Pro-Se with stand by counsel, Lance Sumrall.

For more information, please contact the Office of the District Attorney, at 575-769-2246.