After getting into a fight with his girlfriend, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Deputy Daniel Vasquez-Moreno, was arrested early this morning, and charged with one count of aggravated battery of a household member, and driving while intoxicated.
According to BCSO spokeswoman Jayme Fuller Gonzales, Vasquez-Moreno has been placed on administrative leave following the incident. She said he is a 2019 graduate of BCSO’s academy, and is assigned to the Field Services Division on the graveyard shift.
At just after 6 a.m. this morning, a Rio Rancho police officer arrived at a home in the 2200 block of Margarita Dr. SE and found Vasquez-Moreno sitting in his white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck.
When the officer turned on his emergency lights, he reported that Vasquez-Moreno pulled out of the driveway, looked him straight in the eyes and fled from the scene.
The officer said he drove around to look for Vasquez-Moreno and saw him take a left on Golf Course Road SE. He said the vehicle was weaving in and out of traffic, at 70 miles per hour and had its hazard lights on.
Eventually, the vehicle stopped and the officer was able to chat with Vasquez-Moreno, who allegedly told him the reason he left was because he didn’t want things to get worse with his girlfriend and that they’d gotten into a verbal altercation.
A witness told police that Vasquez-Moreno got into an argument with his girlfriend because she didn’t want him to go into the kitchen. She used her arms to block the kitchen entryway, but Vasquez-Moreno allegedly grabbed her and pushed her out of the way.
A field sobriety test was given to Vasquez-Moreno, who allegedly told the officer that he had been drinking for hours before driving.
Fuller Gonzales said the criminal investigation will be completed before an administrative investigation can begin.
Other law enforcement arrests
Vasquez-Moreno is the third BCSO deputy to be arrested since the beginning of the year.
In a statement Monday, Sheriff John Allen said he was profoundly disappointed and frustrated by the incidents.
“As Sheriff, I am committed to ensuring accountability and maintaining the integrity of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office,” Allen said. “These incidents, although deeply troubling, do not reflect the dedication of the majority of our deputies who serve our community with honor. We are taking immediate steps to address these issues and prevent future occurrences. Our focus remains on serving the public with the professionalism and respect they deserve.”
In January, BCSO deputy Adrienne Seay was stopped at a DWI checkpoint. According to a criminal complaint, Seay smelled of alcohol, and didn’t make eye contact and admitted to police she had been drinking. After her arrest, Seay was placed on administrative leave.
Then on Jan. 30, Criminal Investigations Unit Detective Michael Borreco, 34, was arrested after police say he pointed a loaded gun at two people. He was drunk at the time of the incident, and allegedly told the the two over is BCSO loudspeaker to leave or “he’d take their fucking souls.”
But it isn’t just BCSO deputies who are being arrested.
On Feb. 4, an Albuquerque Police Department officer was arrested, after his girlfriend called 911, stating that he’d been physical with her. According to a criminal complaint, Officer Isaiah Ortiz y Pino and his girlfriend were fighting when he grabbed her by her hair and threw her on a bed. He allegedly told her not to call the police because he is a police officer and she’d get in trouble. Ortiz y Pino was charged with one misdemeanor count of battery on a household member, and placed on administrative leave.