Felicia Peru held without bond for property damage, Illegal drug use, indicating a continued pattern of criminal conduct.

Tuesday, May 13, 2025 I Sixth Judicial District Attorney Norman R. Wheeler announced today that Felicia Peru was held without bond in a Pre-Trial Detention hearing for charges of Property Damage, and illegal drug use. Sixth Judicial Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Clark was the prosecutor at the hearing in the Grant County District Courthouse, Silver City, New Mexico. Peru will be held until pending outcome of her criminal case.

Felicia Peru was charged with criminal damage to property. Several homeowners in the Bayard community testified about the damage that Peru has done to their property. The State filed a Motion for Pretrial Detention and argued that no conditions of release will protect the community. At the hearing held on April 29, 2025, The State presented testimony of the victims and law enforcement and cited the defendant's long criminal history involving violence, property damage and illegal narcotics. The State recognized that the new charges involving property damage are not a violent offense.

A part of the state's argument to the court was that Ms. Peru's ongoing terrorization of Grant County posed a unique danger. When defendants create fear and chaos without facing consequences and then attribute their actions to mental illness, it perpetuates a cycle of danger for the victims, the defendant herself, and the community. This cycle also leads to social costs, such as decreased housing prices and diminished confidence in community safety.

Judge Thomas Stewart agreed and granted the State's motion and held Ms. PERU without bond stating in his opinion "the Court finds that clear and convincing evidence demonstrates that the Defendant's pattern of violence and lawlessness is escalating. It would make no sense for the law to require that the Court wait until serious injury or death is inflicted before a defendant can be detained prior to trial."