Courtney Leigh Sparks, Federal Firearms Offenses, New Mexico 2024
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico - A Rio Rancho woman was charged with federal firearms offenses after a series of encounters with law enforcement revealed her ongoing substance abuse and attempts to create explosives.
Courtney Leigh Sparks, 39, was arrested on March 15, 2024, after she collided with an Albuquerque Fire and Rescue fire truck. Police searched her vehicle and found a loaded Colt .38 caliber special revolver, three open bottles of alcohol, and a narcotics pipe.
On May 27, 2024, Sparks was arrested again in Rio Arriba County for driving while intoxicated. Officers found a box of .38 special ammunition, a box of 12-gauge shotgun shells, two hatchets, one throwing knife, one machete, three pocketknives, two glass pipes, and various items related to marijuana use in her vehicle.
Sparks will be placed on conditions of release in the third-party custody of a halfway house pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in prison for each offense.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department, Rio Rancho Police Department, and New Mexico State Police. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Gardner is prosecuting this case.
The U.S. Attorney's Office has agreements with the New Mexico Department of Justice and the Second Judicial District Attorney's Office to identify federal criminal offenses and prioritize federal charges against those who drive violence in the state.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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