Members of the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Special Response Team arrested a man on a federal arrest warrant, charging him with malicious threat to injure by fire or explosives.
Samuel Gilpin, 37, was taken into custody near the intersection of Hickory Loop and Avenida de Mesilla.
According to detectives, Gilpin was named as a suspect in an investigation related to bomb threats allegedly made toward the Doña Ana County Government Center in 2017 and more recently at the Third Judicial District Court building on Picacho Avenue in Las Cruces. According to the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Securities Service (DSS), Gilpin is also under investigation for making threats to a U.S. embassy overseas.
“The Diplomatic Security Service is firmly committed to ensuring the safety and security of our diplomatic staff and facilities worldwide,” said Bart Brown, director of the DSS Office of Protective Intelligence Investigations. “Our strong relationship with the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement partners, along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, continues to be essential in the pursuit of justice.”
Gilpin, who is originally from Oregon, has had ties to Las Cruces over the years and was known to still be in the area. Detectives spotted his vehicle Friday night near the Starbucks on Valley Drive. He was arrested on January 18 without incident and subsequently transported to the Doña Ana County Detention Center where he is being held on federal bomb threat charges.
Information from Doña Ana County