By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper.
A Rio Rancho man is facing five criminal charges after Rio Rancho police say he encouraged a fight between his middle-school-age daughter and another student, then threatened a group of teenage girls and grabbed one by the arm trying to take her phone.
Court records filed June 12 in Bernalillo Magistrate Court charge the man with three counts of abuse of a child, one count of conspiracy to commit abuse of a child, and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor — all third- and fourth-degree felonies. He was arrested May 25.
What happened, according to police:
The case began after a fight between the man’s daughter and another Eagle Ridge Middle School student on May 18. Police say the man told an officer two other students retaliated against his daughter the following day, prompting him to confront the group on May 20 at Rainbow Park.
One girl recorded roughly 16 minutes of the confrontation on her phone. According to the criminal complaint, the recording captured the man repeatedly cursing at the girls, calling one a “snitch,” and telling them, “I can find out where they live… I’ll just sit there at the end of the day and find where you live.” He also referenced knowing “how the law” works and suggested bringing in relatives if the fight continued.
Police say he later grabbed one girl’s arm trying to take her phone during the encounter; she was not involved in the original fight.
When questioned, the man told an officer he never tried to take the phone — then, after learning a video existed, said, “I was trying to grab the phone, I didn’t grab her.” He denied encouraging the fight, telling police he only told his daughter to “guard herself.”
The charges:
- Abuse of a child (x3) — third-degree felonies, one for each minor allegedly placed in danger
- Conspiracy to commit abuse of a child — fourth-degree felony
- Contributing to the delinquency of a minor (x2) — fourth-degree felonies
He has been summoned to appear in court; no plea has been entered. These are charges, not convictions.