Press Release: From: Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Clovis, New Mexico
CLOVIS, N.M. – District Attorney Quentin Ray announced that Michael Bara, 71, of Muleshoe, Texas, was sentenced on October 13, 2026, to six years in the New Mexico Department of Corrections following his conviction for Criminal Sexual Contact of a Child Under 13, a third-degree felony. Ninth Judicial District Court Judge David Reeb presided over the sentencing hearing. The conviction stemmed from a March 2023 investigation by the Clovis Police Department.
Bara will be required to serve 85% of his six-year sentence because the offense is classified as a serious violent offense. He received 482 days of credit for pre-sentence confinement. Upon release, Bara will be subject to parole for a term of five years to life.
During sentencing, the victim’s mother delivered an impactful victim impact statement, addressing the harm caused by Bara’s actions. Her statement gave the court an opportunity to hear directly about the lasting impact of the abuse on the victim.
On the same day, Bara also entered a guilty plea in a separate case involving a 2020 incident. In that case he pleaded guilty to Criminal Sexual Penetration in the Second Degree (Child 13-18) (Force or Coercion), a second-degree felony, and Criminal Sexual Contact of a Minor in the Third Degree (Person in Position of Authority) (Clothed) (13-18), a third-degree felony. Bara was sentenced to eight years in the New Mexico Department of Corrections in that case.
The six-year and eight-year sentences will run concurrently. Bara will also be required to register as a sex offender. Based on the sentences imposed, he is expected to be approximately 78 years old upon release.
Both cases were investigated by the Clovis Police Department and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Brittany Encinias. Bara was represented by Raymond Conley of the Law Office of the Public Defender.
For more information, please contact the District Attorney’s Office at (575) 769-2246.
