Espirideon Varela
May 15, 2026 I Sixth Judicial District Attorney Norman R. Wheeler announced today that Espirideon Varela, 27, was found guilty by a Grant County jury. The jury convicted Varela on:
Count 1: Aggravated Fleeing a Law Enforcement Officer, 4th Degree Felony;
Counts 4 & 5: Possession of a Controlled Substance, a 4th Degree Felony;
Count 8: Resisting, Evading, or Obstructing an Officer Arrest, Misdemeanor;
Count 9: Open Container, Misdemeanor;
Count 10: Expired Registration of a Motor vehicle, Misdemeanor.
This case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Joseph P. Silva and Assistant District Attorney Devorah Kalani.
On October 29, 2024, Silver City police initiated a traffic stop on a truck due to a suspended registration. The driver, Varela, refused the officer’s orders to exit the vehicle and sped away. Officers pursued the truck through residential streets but eventually lost sight of it.
The following morning, police spotted the truck traveling northbound and initiated a second pursuit. The chase ended when officers found the vehicle abandoned near a tree. A bystander informed police that Varela and a second man had left the truck and fled on foot. Officers tracked Varela down, engaged in a brief foot pursuit, and arrested him. During a search of his person, police found methamphetamine.
The truck was subsequently impounded and searched. Inside the cab, investigators discovered live and spent ammunition, drug paraphernalia, a partially empty bottle of alcohol, and baggies containing a substance that tested positive for cocaine.
Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
