{"id":822,"date":"2026-05-23T19:06:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T19:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demingnews.com\/?p=822"},"modified":"2026-05-23T19:06:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T19:06:02","slug":"taos-county-sergeant-killed-crash-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demingnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/23\/taos-county-sergeant-killed-crash-new-mexico\/","title":{"rendered":"Taos County Sergeant Killed in Crash During Reckless Driver Search"},"content":{"rendered":"

DEMING – New Mexico State Police are investigating a fatal crash involving the Taos County Sheriff\u2019s Office that claimed the life of a sheriff\u2019s sergeant late Friday night.<\/p>\n

According to State Police, the crash happened at about 10:25 p.m. May 22 on State Road 518 near the 7200 block in Taos County.<\/p>\n

Deputies were attempting to locate a reckless driver who was believed to have turned onto a dirt driveway in the area. Investigators said a Taos County deputy driving a marked police pickup truck was turning left into the driveway when Sergeant Joseph Apodaca, who was operating a department-issued police motorcycle, collided with the driver\u2019s side of the pickup.<\/p>\n

Apodaca suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at 11:44 p.m. by the Office of the Medical Investigator.<\/p>\n

New Mexico State Police Chief Matthew Broom said the loss is being felt across the law enforcement community.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of Sergeant Joseph Apodaca, who dedicated his life to serving and protecting the people of Taos County,\u201d Broom said.<\/p>\n

Broom said State Police stands with the Taos County Sheriff\u2019s Office during what he called an incredibly difficult time and asked New Mexicans to keep Apodaca\u2019s loved ones, friends and fellow deputies in their thoughts.<\/p>\n

The crash remains under investigation by the New Mexico State Police.<\/p>\n

By John Krehbiel \u2013 Bravo Mic Communications \u2013 john@bravomic.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DEMING – New Mexico State Police are investigating a fatal crash involving the Taos County Sheriff\u2019s Office that claimed theRead More →<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["entry","author-john-k","post-822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-state-news"],"yoast_head":"\nTaos County Sergeant Killed in Crash During Reckless Driver Search - DemingNews.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"New Mexico State Police are investigating a fatal crash in Taos County that killed Sergeant Joseph Apodaca of the Taos County Sheriff\u2019s Office.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/demingnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/23\/taos-county-sergeant-killed-crash-new-mexico\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Taos County Sergeant Killed in Crash During Reckless Driver Search - 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