Bethany Freudenthal, Las Cruces Sun-News
Published 6:41 p.m. MT Dec. 3, 2019

CLOSE

LAS CRUCES – A Las Cruces teenager will be tried as an adult after being accused of using a gun to rob a fellow teenager of his medical marijuana.

Josiah Segura, 16, was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of armed robbery earlier this month and on Monday appeared in district court.

Two other teenagers were implicated in the incident and were arrested in connection with the alleged robbery. Their cases will be adjudicated through the juvenile court process. 

Authorities have not released records related to the case because it involves juveniles. 

However, the alleged victim’s mother, Yvette Schultz, described to the Sun-News what her son said happened that day.  

Crime: Arizona man arrested after shooting at Las Cruces apartment complex

Since the robbery, Schultz said her frightened son has been pulled from school for safety reasons

‘A gun was pulled on him’

Just after 2:15 p.m. Oct. 12, Schultz received a phone call from her teenage son, who uses medical cannabis to treat severe post-traumatic stress disorder and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.

Her son claimed he’d been lured by three other teens — one whom had been a longtime friend — to hang out at Segura’s house. 

But the three teens who’d called Schultz’s son had ulterior motives, she said. As soon as Schultz’s son got into the house, he knew something was wrong because one of the teens allegedly had a handkerchief over his face. 

For the latest news, subscribe to the Las Cruces Sun-News today. 

“That’s when a gun was pulled on him by Josiah Segura,” she said. 

Her son was then led to the car he was driving and forced to hand over his medical cannabis, Schultz said. 

“He had about 20 grams out in the car. It was my car — he was using my car at the time — and they took it all,” Schultz said.

Schultz said her son has been taking medical cannabis since March, and that it has helped his PTSD and his attention deficit disorder.

“These children knew that he had a card, and I think I also had cash in the car that was taken,” Schultz said. “But the officers said my son didn’t know I had the cash, so nothing could be done about the cash.”

Crime: Vitamin shop employee accused of embezzling over $640,000

Schultz said she had just purchased the medical cannabis for around $200 to $300, and was forced to scrape together more money in order to replace the medication that was stolen from her son. Only some of the cannabis was recovered from the robbery.

When her son called her after the alleged robbery, Schultz told him to call the police immediately. Police were able to arrest two of the teens at the scene. The third was arrested the next day, she said. 

Police told Schultz the gun was loaded, she said. 

“For a gun to be pulled on my child is very serious,” she said. “I’m lucky to have him alive right now.” 

Crime: Arizona man arrested after shooting at Las Cruces apartment complex

In court 

Segura appeared Monday before Third Judicial District Court Judge Douglas Driggers after his case was transferred from juvenile court to district court, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

In the juvenile case, Segura is scheduled to be sentenced to probation and released to a residential treatment center in Sandoval County. Though the case was resolved in juvenile court, Segura was indicted as an adult by a grand jury.

When Segura was indicted by the grand jury, Third Judicial District Court Judge Conrad Perea ordered a $7,500 secured bond. 

In court Monday, Segura’s attorney asked for a bond reduction, arguing that the only place he’d be released to would be the residential treatment facility. Driggers, however, denied the request and upheld Perea’s previous ruling on the matter. 

Bethany Freudenthal can be reached at bfreudenthal@lcsun-news.com, 575-541-5449 or @bethanyfreuden1 on Twitter. 

Keep reading:

Read or Share this story: https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/2019/12/03/las-cruces-new-mexico-crime-robbery/2597494001/