Governor appoints new Ninth Judicial District Attorney

Quentin Ray has been named the new district attorney for the Ninth Judicial District by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

"I got the call this morning," Ray said Tuesday. Ray believes he will be sworn in Friday at a time and place yet to be announced.

Ray has been with the Ninth Judicial District Attorney's office since 2013. He had been in private practice with two area law firms prior to coming to the DA's office.

The opening came when the present district attorney, Brian Stover, missed the deadline to be on the ballot for the Nov. 8 election.

Stover had been appointed by Lujan Grisham on the retirement of Andrea Reeb.

"Brian, Jake Boazman and I are friends," Ray said. "We sat down and discussed it, if the governor didn't re-appoint Brian."

Ray said he and Boazman were both willing to do the job. He described how he and Boazman put the paperwork together and submitted it to the governor and requested that if re-appointing Stover wasn't the way Lujan Grisham was going to go to please "appoint local."

Ray did a web interview with the governor and her Chief General Counsel Holly Agajanian last week.

With his appointment Ray is ready to continue the work of his predecessors.

"Andi Reeb and Brian Stover did a great job bringing our office and law enforcement together for the community," Ray said. "There's a shortage of attorneys in our office, I will be working to fill those vacant spots, that's a big goal."

Stover said Tuesday he will consider staying with the local DA's office if Ray offers him a job. "I am also considering offers from other offices," he said.

Ray said he sees illegal drugs as the big problem in the Ninth Judicial District.

"Methamphetamine, fentanyl," Ray said. "These lead to violence, robberies, burglaries, domestic violence. The majority of the homicides in our area have been drug related."

Ray received his bachelor's degree in agricultural economics from New Mexico State University and his law degree from Texas Tech.

Ray and his wife Ashley have three children ages 6, 8 and 11.