Federal prosecutors say Saul Gonzalez stole work gloves from the store and brandished a firearm when employees confronted him.

Organ Mountain News report

ALBUQUERQUE - A Las Cruces man was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for stealing merchandise from a Lowe’s store and threatening an employee with a firearm when confronted, federal prosecutors said.

Saul Gonzalez, 36, pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by threats or violence. He will also serve three years of supervised release after his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, Gonzalez stole several pairs of work gloves from a Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Las Cruces on Jan. 24, 2025. Store employees confronted him about the unpaid merchandise, and prosecutors said Gonzalez brandished a derringer-style firearm, causing an employee to fear for their safety.

Gonzalez left the store with the stolen items and fled in a white Dodge van with a female associate, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Las Cruces police located the van Feb. 2, 2025, and conducted a traffic stop as part of the armed robbery investigation. Gonzalez and the female occupant denied involvement, prosecutors said.

A search of the van under a state search warrant turned up clothing matching what Gonzalez wore during the robbery, black latex gloves consistent with those seen in photographs from the incident and the stolen Mechanix-brand work gloves with their tags still attached, according to prosecutors.

The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Las Cruces Police Department. The Las Cruces Branch Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico prosecuted the case.