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The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 37-year-old man on felony charges after he allegedly caused more than $10,000 in damage at an Uptown Albuquerque hotel, prompting Sheriff John Allen to issue a stern statement about violent crime among the homeless population.
The man was arrested Sunday on two counts of criminal damage to property over $1,000, both fourth-degree felonies, according to a sheriff’s office press release issued Monday.
The arrest came after hotel management at the Marriott Hotel contacted Allen directly following what they described as repeated incidents involving an “aggressive transient individual,” the release stated. Hotel management reached out after multiple 911 calls “went unanswered in a timely manner,” according to the sheriff’s office.
He is accused of threatening staff and “creating an unsafe environment for hotel guests and employees,” the release said. Deputies with the Organized Retail Crime Unit conducted the investigation and made the arrest.
Allen used the incident to address broader concerns about crime involving homeless individuals in Bernalillo County.
“Our community is frustrated, and we hear it every single day,” Allen said in the release. “I receive more calls about violent or criminal behavior from unhoused individuals than any other issue.”
The sheriff said his office has invested in diversion programs, housing support, treatment services and created a Behavioral Health Unit since he took office.
“We have offered help time and time again. The truth is, not everyone wants help,” Allen said. “Many refuse services, refuse accountability and continue to commit crimes that hurt our community.”
Allen emphasized that while the office supports treatment and diversion programs for those willing to accept help, “violent and criminal behavior will not be tolerated.”
“When individuals are violent, when they steal, when they use drugs openly, when they bring their families into this lifestyle and continue to victimize the contributing members of this community, the time for accountability is now,” Allen said.
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