16 stairs, 1 bullet and 36 years. I never knew Officer Stephen Sandlin in person, only through stories told, crime scene documents and autopsy reports. Over the past couple of weeks, as we began re-reporting it and visiting old sites and talking with community members, it’s clear I’m not alone. Many have never forgotten his […]
Courts, Justice & Safety
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
Fresh eyes and new technology: Digging into the cold case killing of a rookie cop in Mountainair
It was the evening of May 7, 1988, and while most of the town of Mountainair attended a talent show at the high school, a rookie cop remained at the police department — in a cramped room atop a narrow staircase above town hall. Stephen Sandlin, a 21-year-old who had joined the four-man force a […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, rio-rancho
Rio Rancho Teen Accused in Homicide
A Rio Rancho teen was arrested and charged this week in connection with the recent stabbing death of an Albuquerque woman. According to a press release, Rio Rancho Police Department Criminal Investigations Division identified the suspect as 17-year-old Joshua Xavier Mora who is facing charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. The victim, 44-year-old […]
Posted inBernalillo County, Courts, Justice & Safety, Local Gov.
BCSO arrests ‘Al Capone’ of retail theft
A man who sheriff’s deputies say was at the center of Albuquerque’s largest organized retail crime operation was arrested earlier this month. Raul Fernando Garcia, 42 — dubbed the “Al Capone” of retail theft by the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office — was arrested on April 15. He is facing multiple charges including organized retail crime, […]
Posted inBernalillo County, Courts, Justice & Safety, Local Gov.
Lawsuit alleges woman overdosed in jail while guard watched YouTube, played games
The mother of a woman who died of a drug overdose at the Metropolitan Detention Center filed a lawsuit against Bernalillo County last week alleging a corrections officer failed to complete required checks and also broke the jail’s computer use policy by watching videos and playing games during his shift. “This case is about MDC […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety
Daily Lobo News Editor files lawsuit against UNM records custodian
By Maddie Pukite/ Daily Lobo The News Editor of the Daily Lobo, Lily Alexander, has filed a lawsuit against Rob (Robert) Tafoya, the Custodian of Public Records at the University of New Mexico for failure to provide UNM Police Department’s weapons inventory on March 5, 2024. The legal complaint asks for the courts to enforce […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, Education, Syndicated
UNM Gaza Solidarity Encampment still in place after arrests
BY AUSTIN FISHER / Source NM Every protester arrested Tuesday morning during a protest inside the University of New Mexico Student Union Building was released by the evening, and the outdoor encampment at the university’s main campus showed no signs of stopping. Early in the morning, two UNM Police Department officers booked 16 protesters into the […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety
Sixth officer leaves APD amid corruption probe
A former long-time Albuquerque police spokesperson — a sworn officer who responded to media inquiries during the swing shift — has left the department rather than be interviewed as part of an internal investigation into corruption in the DWI unit. Daren DeAguero was informed Tuesday morning that he was a target in the investigation and […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety, Education, Syndicated
Police detain UNM protesters, spray one with chemical agent on encampment’s ninth day
BY SHAUN GRISWOLD / Source NM The University of New Mexico Gaza Solidarity Encampment started its ninth day on Tuesday with part of the camp inside the main campus Student Union Building. By 4 a.m., police destroyed the five tents set up by the group demanding UNM divest from the state of Israel, and New Mexico […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety
APD is solving more homicides than in recent years
While the Albuquerque Police Department has generally been solving fewer than 10% of property crimes over the past couple of years, it has been steadily improving on solving homicides, according to data in the mayor’s proposed budget. In fiscal year 2022, the Albuquerque Police Department cleared 71% of homicides but in the next fiscal year, […]