Ex-Alamogordo detective charged with battery

ALAMOGORDO – A former 30-year-old Alamogordo Police Department (APD) detective is charged with two counts of petty misdemeanor battery in connection with an incident at Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center (GCRMC) while he was off-duty Sept. 23.

According to Otero County Magistrate Court records, the 10th Judicial District Attorney Tim Rose filed the charges in Otero County Magistrate Court against Kyle D. Graham Oct. 16. Twelfth Judicial District Attorney John P. Sugg recused himself from the case in September.  

Graham pleaded not guilty to the charges through a waiver of arraignment entry of plea filed by his attorney, according to court records obtained by the Daily News.

APD officers responded to GCRMC of an alleged altercation between Graham and a family member around 6:40 p.m. Sept. 23 then turned the investigation over to New Mexico State Police (NMSP) for investigation, records show.

According to records, a NMSP officer viewed video surveillance footage from a GCRMC hallway camera that shows a doctor talking to a patient’s mother, stepfather Graham and stepmother outside the patient’s room around 6:30 p.m.

The video shows the patient’s grandmother arriving at the room then talking to the doctor outside the room, records show.

According to records, the grandmother and Graham attempt to walk back into the patient’s room at the same time then Graham allegedly pushing the grandmother back.

The footage shows the grandmother falling backwards as she allegedly grabs Graham’s shirt then the grandmother falls onto her back and Graham allegedly ends up bent over the top of the grandmother, records state.

The video shows stepmother allegedly grabbing Graham in an attempt to pull Graham off the grandmother then Graham allegedly puts the stepmother in a headlock and trips the stepmother to the ground while keeping her in a headlock, records show.

According to records, GCRMC staff were able to break up the altercation and clear the hallway around 6:37 p.m.

Graham was terminated by APD Oct. 9. He is currently appealing his termination with the department. Graham’s appeal process first goes to Alamogordo Police Chief Brian Peete who has seven days to either uphold the discipline or change the disciplinary action as per the department’s policy.

If Graham is not satisfied with the outcome of his appeal with Peete, then he can appeal to Alamogordo’s city manager that appeal is the last step in the appeal process with the City per the policy.