Baseball player pees in rival team’s water, NM officials say. Why he’s not charged
A high school baseball player is not facing charges after peeing in a rival team’s water jug, New Mexico officials said.
In March, a 16-year-old junior varsity baseball player from Rio Rancho High School peed in La Cueva High School’s water jug during a game, officials told KRQE.
La Cueva High School Principal Darrel Garcia sent an email to the parents saying the teen admitted to peeing in the jug that La Cueva players and coaches drank from, KOB4 reported.
The teen was facing 15 battery charges, one charge for each person who drank from the jug, the station reported.
“It was determined the actions did not amount to any crime written in” New Mexico statutes, Chief Deputy District Attorney Jessica Martinez told the Rio Rancho Observer.
Rio Rancho Public Schools sent a statement to KRQE.
“Rio Rancho Public Schools cannot comment on actions taken by exterior or otherwise unaffiliated organizations or agencies, such as the 13th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, the statement said. The district also cannot comment on district-level disciplinary measures imposed on individual students. However, I can confirm that the junior varsity baseball team at Rio Rancho High School was suspended from participating in the program for the remainder of the season, which has since ended. The district upholds its previous stance regarding the incident; the behavior exhibited does not represent the standards and values expected of all students who attend Rio Rancho Public Schools.”
The teen told detectives he peed in the jug to “be funny” and “had no intention” of getting revenge from anything that occurred previously, according to a report obtained by the Rio Rancho Observer.
Other district attorney offices might have approached the case differently and charged the teen with public nuisance or disorderly conduct instead of battery, attorney Ahmad Assed told KOB4.
“It’s a terrible message, and it’s the wrong message to send. ... Part of that deterrent factor is not only against the person that committed the act, but it’s in a broader sense to make sure that others don’t fall in that same trap,” Assed said. “I would certainly look at petty misdemeanors. ... That may send a message, but also those don’t have the impact of ruining a kid’s life.”
Rio Rancho is about 15-mile drive north of Albuquerque.
This story was originally published June 5, 2025 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Baseball player pees in rival team’s water, NM officials say. Why he’s not charged."