Albuquerque man sentenced to prison after incident at Church’s Chicken
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A local man will spend 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. The man, 59-year-old Joseph Dino Lopez, was recently handed his sentence from a federal judge.
Lopez approached a couple in a car in a Church’s Chicken parking lot in 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) says. He banged on the car window and yelled at the couple, the DOJ says.
New Mexico to use over one fourth of opioid settlement fees on outside lawyers, according to LFC
Surveillance footage of the incident show the man in the car pepper sprayed Lopez, and Lopez pointed a loaded shotgun at the couple, the DOJ says. The couple fled an Albuquerque police eventually arrested Lopez.
The DOJ says Lopez had already been convicted of nine other felonies at the time the incident occurred. As a convicted felon, Lopez was barred from possessing a firearm.
New Mexico governor facing lawsuit from NRA over new gun waiting period law
Now, a federal judge has sentenced Lopez to 15 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. The federal system does not allow parole.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
