LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) A former Las Cruces police detective has pleaded guilty to sex crimes. The District Attorney's Office in Las Cruces says 38-year-old Michael Garcia pleaded guilty Thursday to five felony counts of criminal sexual contact a child. The office says county carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.
Garcia previously pleaded guilty to civil rights charges in a separate federal court case involving a high student interning with the police department. He faces a nine-year prison sentence in that case.
Garcia resigned days after his August 2013 arrest. He was at the time a detective specializing in child abuse cases.
