Ninth Judicial District Attorney, Andrea Reeb, announced that Roy Brown, age 29, of Portales, NM, was found guilty by a Roosevelt County jury last evening of 2 counts of Criminal Sexual Penetration Resulting in Great Mental Anguish, Aggravated Battery; Burglary and Resisting Arrest. The jury deliberated for approximately 3 hours yesterday afternoon after sitting through 6 days of testimony in the case.
The charges stem from a brutal rape of a Portales woman in August of 2016. The woman testified she was asleep on her couch when an intruder broke into her home and sexually assaulted her. The victim testified for over 7 hours last week about the event and the physical injuries she received as well as the mental anguish she has suffered since the attack. In addition, the jury heard from law enforcement, a sexual assault nurse, fingerprint and DNA experts as well as the victim’s counselor.
District Attorney Andrea Reeb stated, “I am very thankful to the quick response and hard work by the Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office in this matter. That Department is a big reason this sexual predator will no longer be on the streets of this Portales community. This conviction was a team effort between both agencies and I am very thankful for their dedication and work in this matter.”
The Honorable Donna J. Mowrer presided over the case and ordered that the Defendant undergo a 60 day diagnostic evaluation at the Department of Corrections. Upon receipt of that report, a sentencing hearing will be scheduled. Because the defendant has 2 prior felony convictions, the Defendant faces a minimum of 22 years to a maximum sentence of 53 years in the Department of Corrections.
District Attorney Andrea Reeb and Chief Deputy Brian Stover prosecuted the case for the State. Criminal Defense Attorneys Craig Acorn and Gokul Sripada, of the Public Defender’s Office, represented Brown.
For more information, please contact the District Attorney’s Office at 575-769-2246.
(News release from the New Mexico Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s Office)
