Artesia man gets probation and parole over motorcycle altercation

Mike Smith
Carlsbad Current-Argus

An alleged altercation between two Artesia men in 2019 over a motorcycle payment dispute landed probation and parole for the suspect, Fifth Judicial District Court records stated.

Christopher Combs, 43, was sentenced on Jan. 8 before Fifth Judicial District Judge Jane Shuler-Gray after being convicted on Sept. 16, 2020 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery, according to court records.

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He was given a deferred sentence on both counts and was placed on one-year parole and 18 months on supervised probation for the aggravated assault count and six month’s probation on the battery count, which runs concurrently with count one, court records noted.

Combs allegedly told Eddy County Sheriff’s investigators on Apr. 19, 2019 he and the owner of an Artesia motorcycle shop had an agreement for a custom-built motorcycle, read a criminal complaint.

Eddy County Sheriff's detectives investigated an alleged altercation between Christopher Combs and an Artesia motorcycle shop owner in 2019.

The owner allegedly stopped working on the motorcycle and didn’t tell Combs.

Combs said he had painted parts of the bike and when he heard the other man had quit the project, Combs brought a $3,000 invoice to the shop for the work and demanded payment, the complaint read 

An argument allegedly ensued, and Combs told investigators the shop’s owner called the Regional Emergency Dispatch Authority (REDA) stating Combs was trying to steal a motorcycle, the criminal complaint indicated.

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Combs allegedly hit the shop’s owner, who fell on the ground and later grabbed a handgun and pointed it at Combs, the criminal complaint stated.

During the investigation, Combs said he took the gun away from the victim and then pushed him into a filing cabinet drawer. Combs allegedly took the gun and put it in his pocket and walked out of the shop into a pickup truck and called police, per the criminal complaint.

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Investigators spoke with the shop’s owner on June 18, 2019 who said he suffered damage to his right ear due to the incident, records show. He said Combs walked into the shop and started arguing about payment for the motorcycle, read the criminal complaint.

During the argument, the victim told investigators he grabbed a handgun from the front counter and placed it inside his pocket. He said Combs allegedly tried to take the motorcycle but couldn’t because it was locked, according to the criminal complaint.

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The owner allegedly said Combs walked toward him as he called dispatchers and punched him.

The shop owner then fell on the ground and pulled the gun out of his pocket, the criminal complaint read.

Combs allegedly grabbed the gun and the shop owner by the neck and pushed him into a filing cabinet. The victim claimed during the interview that Combs choked him and he dropped the gun, per the criminal complaint.

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Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.