Sequoyah treatment center employee accused of inappropriate relationship with inmate

An employee of Albuquerque’s Sequoyah Adolescent Treatment Center has been charged with one count of criminal sexual contact of a minor for a relationship she allegedly had with one of the inmates at the center.

35-year-old Amber Lucero is accused of kissing, holding hands with and touching one of the male inmates over the past year-and-a-half before the inmate was transferred to another facility.

A criminal complaint for Lucero’s arrest says the alleged relationship was brought to the attention of New Mexico State Police by a family member of the inmate’s on June 9.

Police interviewed the inmate, who confirmed his relationship with Lucero began in the latter half of 2014 and has continued since.

The complaint says both the inmate and Lucero confirmed the relationship progressed very gradually over that time period.

It eventually led to the two kissing in a spot at the center unseen by surveillance cameras. The inmate allegedly touched her breasts while they kissed.

The criminal complaint says the relationship never progressed further than that, but that the relationship moved further than it should have.

“It happened because I cared and I treated him like a human being and I overstepped my boundaries in becoming too much of a friend with him and caring too much,” Lucero allegedly told police.

The complaint says the two had maintained contact after the inmate was moved to a different facility in March, and that they would communicate by sending each other letters. Lucero used an alias so as to not raise any flags about their communication, police said.

Lucero’s charge carries a $2,500 cash or surety bond. The inmate is only referred to in the complaint as “N.G.,” though KOB does not name victims of sexual crimes.