Convicted murderer arrested after 85-mile chase, kidnapped woman uninjured

ROSWELL, New Mexico (KCBD) - A chase from Roswell, NM to Carlsbad, NM, ended with a convicted murderer under arrest and a kidnapped woman recovered safely. The chase ended after the vehicle he was driving ran out of gas. The man has been out of prison on parole for six months after serving 17 years in prison.

On Wednesday, Sept. 1, Orlando Martinez Flores, 33, was at a home in Roswell when a domestic disturbance occurred. Around 10:20 a.m., Roswell Police were called and were told Flores was arguing with his ex-girlfriend and pointed a gun at her and another woman. The witness said he ordered his ex-girlfriend into a car against her will. He then drove away from the house.

A Roswell police detective spotted the car and tried to pull Flores over, but Flores refused to stop. He continued to refuse to stop when other law enforcement tried to pull him over. He drove the car throughout Roswell before heading south out of town on U.S. 285.

Police say it took Flores a little more than an hour to drive the 85 miles from Roswell to southwest of Carlsbad. The chase ended when Flores’ vehicle ran out of gas on N.M. 137.

The kidnapped woman was not injured and Flores was taken into custody.

Flores has been charged by the Roswell Police Department with kidnapping, aggravated assault against a household member, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, felon in possession of a firearm, and aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer.

In addition to the charges filed by RPD in connection with Wednesday’s series of events, Flores was served with an existing arrest warrant for a previous parole violation regarding his parole in a case in which he pleaded guilty to a 2003 first-degree murder charge in Carlsbad. For that crime, Flores served a little more than 17 years in prison before his release in March of this year.

Flores is being held at the Eddy County Detention Center in Carlsbad.