GRANTS, NM – An intoxicated woman was arrested on September 17 after Grants Police Department responded to a disturbance call at 1400 E Roosevelt Ave in Grants, New Mexico. The woman, identified as Samantha Castillo, was taken into custody after allegedly driving under the influence with her child in the vehicle.
GPD officers were initially dispatched to Roosevelt Ave. following a report of an intoxicated female causing a disturbance. According to the police report, officers observed Castillo displaying signs of intoxication, including stumbling, bloodshot eyes, and slurred speech. Castillo claimed to have consumed two shots of tequila an hour prior, according to the report.
Police began speaking with people at the scene, including the boy who called the police. The boy raised concerns to police, according to the report, he alleged that Castillo had robbed his father in the past while he was intoxicated and feared she may do it again.
With no arrestable offense, police broke up the crowd and had the parties sperate.
Soon after leaving the scene, police observed Castillo driving a Silver Mitsubishi Lancer with a damaged bumper. The license plate displayed on the vehicle was registered to a different make and model, prompting police to conduct traffic stop.
According to the police report, Castillo showed further signs of impairment and struggled to successfully complete several sobriety tests. It was then discovered that a child was present in the vehicle.
Police began asking Castillo about family to come pick the child but were unable to get ahold of any family, including the child’s father. With no immediate family available to care for the child, the Child, Youth and Families Department was called to the scene. Due to an existing open case with CYFD, the child was set to remain in the department's custody until at least September 20.
Castillo was transported to Cibola County Correctional Center for incarceration. She was charged with one count of Child Abuse (Open Count), and one count of Aggravated DWI Driving While Under the Influence of Intoxicating Liquor/Drug (Refused Testing).
Castillo was seen in the courtroom of Cibola County Magistrate Judge Tony Mace on September 18; she was given an unsecured appearance bond of $1,000 and a preliminary examination was set for October 24 at 8:30 a.m. in the magistrate court.