Roswell Felon Charged with Firearms Violations

A 49-year-old Roswell man was found to have violated federal firearms laws, according to a criminal complaint. Nathaniel Eddie Madrid was detained pending trial after a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Las Cruces found probable cause to support the charges.

Madrid was arrested in 2016 on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and possessing an unregistered firearm. The crimes allegedly took place on Oct. 26, 2015, in Lincoln County, N.M.

According to the complaint, New Mexico State Police officers came upon Madrid at the scene of a traffic accident. A witness reported seeing Madrid throw a handgun into a nearby ditch. The officers retrieved the handgun and found two more firearms in the vehicle.

Madrid was identified, and the officers learned that he had an outstanding arrest warrant for violating the conditions of a supervised release term he was serving as a result of a previous federal conviction for unlawfully possessing a firearm.

The complaint alleges that Madrid was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to previous felony offenses in state courts of New Mexico and his federal conviction.

Madrid faces a statutory maximum sentence of ten years in prison if convicted. The case is being prosecuted under a federal anti-violence initiative targeting repeat offenders. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is working with federal law enforcement agencies and New Mexico’s District Attorneys to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution.