On January 25, Rio Rancho Police responded to the Cricket Wireless store located at 1109 Highway 528 SE in response to a call for an armed robbery. The male suspect, who was wearing all black clothes and a black gator mask, brandished a gun and demanded the clerk give him cell phones. Cricket employees told […]
Courts, Justice & Safety
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Courts, Justice & Safety
Lieutenant under DWI unit investigation resigns from APD
The highest ranking officer being investigated as part of a corruption probe into the Albuquerque Police Department’s DWI unit has resigned. Lt. Justin Hunt resigned on Wednesday, Gilbert Gallegos, an APD spokesman, confirmed. “I can’t comment further except to say the administrative investigation is on-going,” Gallegos wrote in an email. The FBI is investigating four […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Courts, Justice & Safety
APD officer arrested on domestic violence charges
An Albuquerque Police Police officer was arrested on domestic violence charges stemming from an argument he had with his girlfriend. On Feb. 4, Rio Rancho Police responded to a call about a domestic dispute at a house on the 500 block of Archibeque Ave. in Rio Rancho. The caller said her boyfriend, 24 year-old Isaiah […]
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DA launches new system to notify law enforcement of missed court dates
The Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office has launched a new system to notify law enforcement agencies when an officer misses a hearing or a pre-trial interview. Joshua Boone, the chief deputy district attorney, said in an interview on Tuesday that the DA’s Office started working on the system—essentially a Google spreadsheet that is populated when […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Courts, Justice & Safety
DA blasts APD for ‘dysfunction and mismanagement’ of DWI unit
As the Albuquerque Police Department grapples with a corruption investigation into its DWI unit—and what could have been done to catch misconduct earlier—the Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office is stridently refuting it has any share of the blame. In a 15-page letter to the City Council detailing various policies and processes for court appearances, Chief […]
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The week in crime
In the past week, the Albuquerque Police Department has responded to a fatal stabbing, discovered a man and a woman dead inside a home during a welfare check and shot at a man who—it later turned out—shot himself during the encounter. APD officers also charged six suspects they say are involved in a 2021 homicide. […]
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At risk kids get new kicks
Choking back tears and covering his face to hide emotion, a student at West Mesa High School was thrilled to be getting a new pair of shoes Friday evening. Just after 5 p.m., a handful of students and adults gathered in the school’s library. They were greeted with stacks of new shoes of all sizes […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Courts, Justice & Safety
“What we know and don’t know about the APD corruption investigation”: City Desk’s Elise Kaplan joins NM In Focus
NMPBS’ New Mexico In Focus looks at the state of the APD corruption scandal in this week’s episode airing on NMPBS Friday at 7:00pm and again Sunday morning at 7:00am on channel 5.1. Watch the episode online courtesy of NMPBS. In this episode, taped Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, Executive Producer Jeff Proctor asks reporters Elise […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Courts, Justice & Safety
Father of co-defendant of Solomon Peña pleads guilty to interfering in electoral process
The second of three defendants facing federal charges for his part in a series of shootings targeting the homes of local lawmakers last year pleaded guilty Friday afternoon to conspiracy, interfering with federally protected activities, and using a firearm during those crimes. Demetrio Trujillo, 42, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, two counts of interference with federally […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Courts, Justice & Safety
‘You knew what was happening to your son’
When now-retired Albuquerque Police Department Detective Maureen O’Brien was called to a local hospital to investigate the death of a child five years ago, she was horrified at what she saw when she laid her eyes on the body of four-year-old James Dunklee Cruz. “I knew this wasn’t an accident. He didn’t fall. I knew […]