NEWS
Mountainair EMS Chief charged in rape of 15-year-old girl
Emergency worker was placed on administrative leave in August pending investigation
The chief of Mountainair's Emergency Medical Services Department was put on administrative leave last month following allegations that he raped a 15-year-old.
Josh Lewis, 39, is charged with second-degree criminal sexual penetration, fourth-degree criminal sexual penetration and aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm.
According to documents filed in Torrance County Magistrate Court, Lewis worked in information technology at the Estancia Municipal School District in 2022 when he allegedly groomed and raped a 15-year-old girl who was a student there.
The girl frequently babysat his children and was an employee at a restaurant he owned, called Alpine Alley Cafe, the documents detail.
Lewis allegedly flirted with and groped the girl regularly while she worked at the cafe and raped her at the establishment on Aug. 1, 2022. According to court documents, Lewis later raped her in his home on Sept. 30, 2022.
In an interview with law enforcement, the girl also reported that Lewis choked her on multiple occasions while working at the cafe after the assault.
In a July arraignment hearing, Lewis pleaded not guilty. Neither he nor his attorney could be immediately reached for comment Wednesday.
Mountainair Mayor Peter Nieto declined to comment on the allegations against the town鈥檚 EMS chief but confirmed that Lewis was placed on administrative leave in August because of the charges.
The superintendent of Estancia Municipal School District also could not be reached Wednesday, and it is unclear if Lewis is still employed with the school district.
Lewis was one of more than a dozen first responders who were hospitalized in May after being exposed to fentanyl, methamphetamine and para-fluorofentanyl, also known as P4 fentanyl, during a service call to a Mountainair home. It is unclear how first responders were exposed to the substances.
Gillian Barkhurst is a general assignment reporter for the Journal. She can be reached at gbarkhurst@abqjournal.com.