A lawsuit filed in New Mexico’s Thirteenth Judicial District Court alleges a 5th-grade teacher at Bernalillo Elementary School subjected a 10-year-old student to months of physical abuse and racist verbal attacks while school officials ignored a history of prior complaints against her. The complaint, filed under the New Mexico Civil Rights Act and the Tort […]
Courts, Justice & Safety
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, New Mexico Statewide News, NM Political Report
Supreme Court removes New Mexico judge from the bench
The New Mexico Supreme Court ordered a McKinley County magistrate judge off the bench this week, ending a months-long saga between the judge and the state’s Judicial Standards Commission which had sought his removal for abuses of authority in office. The commission’s recommendation for removal stems from what it described as a “pattern and practice” […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, Rio Rancho, The 528 Rio Rancho
Rio Rancho’s Citizens’ Police Academy pulls back the curtain on police work
Eleven weeks. One night a week. And for many participants, a completely changed perspective on the people who patrol their streets. The Rio Rancho Police Department’s Citizens’ Police Academy is currently underway, with roughly two dozen residents getting an inside look at how one of New Mexico’s fastest-growing cities keeps itself safe. The program, which […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, Rio Rancho, The 528 Rio Rancho
Rio Rancho police, fire departments report mixed results in 2025
Rio Rancho’s police and fire departments handled tens of thousands of calls in 2025, with new data showing faster fire response times but a notable rise in structure fires and a wide spread in police response times depending on call urgency. The Rio Rancho Police Department received 66,232 total calls for service between Jan. 1 […]
Posted inRoute 66 Independent
BCSO Sergeant fatally struck during traffic stop in East Mountains: Investigation underway
By Jesse Jones — A Bernalillo County sheriff’s sergeant was killed Monday evening after a tractor-trailer crashed into his patrol unit during a traffic stop on Interstate 40 near the East Mountains, Sheriff John Allen announced Monday night. Sgt. Michael Schlattman, a 13-year veteran of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, called in the stop just […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
Gary King campaigned on prosecuting child sex offenders – while courting Epstein at lunch and accepting donations through companies designed to avoid “press coverage” for King
By Pat Davis, Julian Paras, NM Political Report — The Epstein files revealed lots of new details about people and places connected to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein — including former attorney general and candidate for governor, Gary King. When reporting from New Mexico Political Report and others showed that King used a jet arranged […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, Rio Rancho
Man arrested on kidnapping, sexual assault charges involving 13-year-old girl
New Mexico State Police have arrested a 34-year-old man on charges of kidnapping and sexual assault following an investigation involving a 13-year-old girl from Rio Rancho, authorities announced. The suspect was booked into the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center following his arrest Feb. 15. He faces charges of first-degree kidnapping, criminal sexual penetration of a […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, Rio Rancho, The 528 Rio Rancho
Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue ready to break ground on new fire station
After years of planning, data collection and funding pursuits, Rio Rancho Fire Rescue is on the verge of breaking ground on Fire Station 8 — the city’s first new fire station since 2011 — with a bid closing March 26 and shovels expected in the ground as early as late April. Fire Chief James Wenzel […]
Posted inEast Mountains
Child dead, two others injured in East Mountains shooting
A 4-year-old boy is dead and two others remain in critical condition following an early-morning domestic violence shooting at Leisure Mountain RV Park located on NM-333 between Tijeras and Zuzax, according to a release by the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional details provided Tues. afternoon by the […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, Rio Rancho, The 528 Rio Rancho
‘Hustle’ busted: Man in fake Target vest used magnet to steal $1,000+ in electronics
A 34-year-old Cedar Crest man faces shoplifting and larceny charges after police say he used a magnet device to steal more than $1,180 worth of merchandise from a Rio Rancho Target store. Rio Rancho police responded to the Target at 4225 Crestview Drive SE at approximately 12:42 p.m. Sunday after asset protection staff reported a […]