A man lost his home, two dogs and his truck in a devastating early Saturday morning fire that left him starting over from nothing on the city’s rural west side. Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue crews responded at approximately 3:55 a.m. May 2 to reports of a fully engulfed residential structure in an automatic aid […]
Courts, Justice & Safety
Posted inCorrales
Fire chief says water is still the top priority
Corrales Fire Chief Anthony Martinez says his department still considers water for fire suppression the top priority, but the time has come to address other needs. At Tuesday’s Village Council meeting, Martinez said those needs include a new substation, a remodel of Fire Station No. 1 and a new training site. Much of the meeting […]
Posted inCorrales
Corrales police chief urges caution after scam, theft
Don’t be so trusting, Police Chief Victor Mangiacapra warns Corraleños. The village’s weekly crime and safety update offers a pair of cautionary tales. On April 22, a Corrales Society of Artists official reported receiving an email three weeks earlier, purportedly from the organization’s president. The message instructed him to pay invoices via an online app, […]
Posted inSandoval County
Sandoval County Fire and Rescue adds 13 firefighters
Thirteen new firefighters joined Sandoval County Fire and Rescue following a graduation ceremony April 24 at V. Sue Cleveland High School. The Class 8 graduates represent the largest academy class in the program’s history. The new first responders completed a rigorous 14-week paramilitary training program that combined classroom work with field exercises in core firefighting, […]
Posted inRio Rancho
SWAT standoff, 9 charges: Police say Rio Rancho woman fired gun at partner while children were inside home
A Rio Rancho woman faces nine criminal charges — including aggravated assault and child abuse — after police say she fired a handgun at her partner during a domestic dispute in the early morning hours of April 18 in the High Range neighborhood. Officers dispatched around 1:47 a.m. found live rounds and spent casings in […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
State Police kill armed man after shootout with Torrance County deputies
By Kevin Hendricks, NM.News — A Torrance County man is dead after exchanging gunfire with sheriff’s deputies and a New Mexico State Police tactical team Tuesday near Manzano, following an hours-long manhunt that prompted authorities to order nearby residents to shelter in place. Torrance County Sheriff’s deputies responded around 1 p.m. Tuesday to a report […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety, Local Government, NM.news
The next time you dial 911 in ABQ, a drone might be the first responder
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Seconds after a gunshot is heard across Albuquerque, police launch a drone from a rooftop hive and speed toward the sound. The goal is to arrive before officers, with its camera already rolling, as part of the city’s “drone as a first responder” program. The Albuquerque Police Department’s (APD) […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Street racing blamed in fatal NM 528 crash that killed Rio Rancho man, injured two others
A Rio Rancho man died and two others were seriously injured April 4 after police say he and another driver were racing at high speed on NM Highway 528 — a stretch where one of them had already been stopped for speeding that same morning — when he lost control and slammed into a turning […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho man accused of stalking, attacking mother hours after jail release
A Rio Rancho man faces five felony and misdemeanor charges after allegedly battering his mother, stealing her computer and other belongings — and then smashing her truck’s windshield with a rock the day after his arrest, according to criminal complaints filed in Sandoval County Magistrate Court. Rio Rancho police filed the first complaint on April […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, Rio Rancho
Rio Rancho speed cameras issued 3,400+ citations in March
Rio Rancho drivers racked up more than 3,400 speeding citations in March — generating up to $342,300 in potential fines — as the city’s automated speed camera network completed its second full month of live enforcement. Data from program vendor Verra Mobility shows cameras monitored 380,635 vehicles in March, flagging 4,484 violation events. Rio Rancho […]