A fourth-degree felony charge has been filed in Farmington Magistrate Court following a 2024 investigation involving a 15-year-old, according to an affidavit for arrest warrant filed in San Juan County.

The charge of criminal sexual penetration of a child between 13 and 16 years of age was filed Feb. 18, 2026, in the Farmington Magistrate Court.

This filing follows a separate Farmington case involving a vape incident referenced in court records. Read the related case coverage here.

What Court Records Allege

Information Learned During Separate Investigation

According to the affidavit sworn by a Farmington police detective, investigators learned during an unrelated case that a male who was 15 at the time had allegedly had sexual intercourse in June or July 2024 with an adult female identified in court records as Emily Paige Lefever.

The affidavit states the alleged sexual contact occurred when the male was 15 years old. The document describes the female as 36 years old during the alleged time frame. In New Mexico, the age of consent is 16.

The affidavit states the information emerged during an investigation in which a counselor recorded a conversation between the juvenile and his mother. In that conversation, the juvenile described sexual contact with the woman, including statements indicating intercourse occurred at her residence.

Prior Vape Case Referenced

The affidavit references a September 2024 incident in which officers responded to a report that the woman had sold the juvenile a vape device for $20. According to the document, she was later charged in that case with distribution of tobacco.

Investigators later obtained a search warrant for the juvenile’s phone and reviewed communications, the affidavit states. During a January 2026 interview conducted in the presence of legal counsel, the juvenile confirmed having sexual relations with the woman and stated the contact occurred when he was 15 years old.

Interview With Defendant

According to the affidavit, investigators contacted Lefever in late January 2026 and later interviewed her at her residence. The document states she initially denied having sexual contact with the juvenile.

The affidavit states that during questioning investigators observed what they described as cues of deception. During a subsequent polygraph examination in February 2026, the document states she initially answered “no” to relevant questions and was later informed the results indicated deception.

According to the affidavit, she then made statements acknowledging sexual contact occurred at her residence in 2024.

Time Frame of Alleged Conduct

The affidavit states investigators determined the alleged sexual intercourse occurred between June 1, 2024, and Sept. 11, 2024. During that period, the male would have been 15 years old, according to the filing.

The detective wrote that based on the investigation and interviews, there was probable cause to believe sexual intercourse occurred while the juvenile was under the age of 16.

Charges Filed

• Criminal Sexual Penetration (child 13 to 16 years of age), Fourth-Degree Felony

Case Status

The charge was filed in Farmington Magistrate Court under case number M-47-FR-2026-00107. Court records show the affidavit was submitted for judicial review on Feb. 18, 2026.

Source

Information in this article is drawn from an affidavit for arrest warrant filed in the Farmington Magistrate Court in San Juan County and associated with Farmington Police Department case number 2025-78017.

Emily Paige Lefever is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. Charges are allegations. No determination of