Albuquerque Cops Murder Homeless Man, Then Sick Dog on Him

A graphic video that shows a police shooting of a homeless man in the Albuquerque foothills is raising a firestorm of controversy, and it’s not the first time police there have faced backlash over citizen shootings.

Hundreds have posted outraged comments online and a public protest of the Albuquerque Police Department is planned for Tuesday evening after police last week released the helmet-cam video, which shows officers shooting at a homeless man March 16 who they said was illegally camping, reports CBS affiliate KRQE.

 In the video, the man, James Boyd, 38, appears to turn away before he is shot by police. Boyd later died. He was struck by at least one live round, but the medical investigator’s office hasn’t determined what killed him, reports the Albuquerque Journal.

According to an Albuquerque police spokeswoman, Boyd was carrying knives and threatening to kill the officers. But critics say the incident raises alarming questions about how Albuquerque police use deadly force.

“We’ve reviewed the video, and like many people who have seen it, we found it to be fairly disturbing,” Steve Allen, public policy director for the ACLU of New Mexico, told CBS News’ Crimesider. “It certainly does raise questions about why this tragedy couldn’t have been avoided.”

For critics, the police shooting is an all-too-common occurrence in Albuquerque. Boyd’s death marks the 22nd deadly police-involved shooting since early 2010, said Andrew Lipman, who chaired the city council’s Police Oversight Task Force.

Lipman’s 11-member task force released recommendations in January calling for the creation of a totally new and independent body to act as a citizen oversight group for police.

The task force also called Tuesday for an independent review of Boyd’s shooting.
“They’re viewing this man as kind of the enemy, in a combat situation, and that’s not really what they’re there to do — they’re there to ensure public safety,” Lipman said. “…This man lost his life because he was illegally camping.”

youtube video

Former Officer Robert Mullen Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Porn

A former Oklahoma police officer who now lives in Albuquerque pleaded guilty Wednesday to distributing child pornography, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Robert Mullen, 60, was arrested in December 2013 and was charged in January for committing the crimes between August and December of last year.

Mullen will serve five to 20 years in prison when sentence, according to the DOJ.

Officer Jonathan Romero Arrested for Domestic Violence

An Albuquerque police officer has been arrested on a domestic violence charge. Jonathan Romero, 41, was arrested over the weekend on a misdemeanor charge of battery on a household member. According to a criminal complaint, Romero was in an argument with his wife about their divorce at their Tijeras home. She later went to bed. That's when the report states that Romero went into the bedroom and tried to forcefully take her wedding ring off her finger. Romero has been released from jail. Police say Romero is a 14-year veteran on the force.

Officer Caught In Surveillance Photo Having Sex On Car: Report (GRAPHIC PHOTO)

A photo of what appears to be a police officer having sex with a woman on the hood of a car has caused an uproar in New Mexico.

Albuquerque, N.M. TV station KOB 4 and the Albuquerque Journal both identify the man as a uniformed officer.

The Santa Fe Sheriff's office released pictures to KOB in response to a public records request. The photos were taken from security footage at the Santa Fe Canyon Ranch.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Robert Garcia told the Journal that the photos were taken by a camera set up to catch graffiti taggers or other crimes.

Other uniformed policeman have been caught having sex on the job. Earlier this month, a Louisiana state public safety officer was suspended for reportedly having sex in his patrol car.

In January, a veteran officer resigned after he allegedly did the deed in his cruiser.

New Mexico State Police have not said whether the man pictured on the hood of the car will face any disciplinary measures, according to the Journal.

WATCH video with the GRAPHIC PHOTO:

Video

Detective Jose Valencia Caught by FBI Promising Gun to Drug Dealer

A Santa Fe cop may end up losing his badge after he was caught on an FBI tape promising a gun to a drug dealer "who clearly conveyed his intent to commit murder," according to police documents. Santa Fe police Detective Jose Valencia - who was the police union president at the time the conversation was caught on tape two years ago - was recommended for termination by Chief Aric Wheeler last week, the Journal has learned. The alleged drug dealer is Maximiliano Gonzales of Pecos, whom Valencia has known on some level for years.

Valencia has been on administrative leave since October. He also is accused of providing the description of an undercover officer to Gonzales and with making disparaging remarks about fellow officers to the drug suspect, according to state Department of Public Safety documents. But a lawsuit against the city of Santa Fe is in the works, according to an attorney for Valencia who claims his client was the victim of entrapment on the part of "administration higher-ups." Albuquerque attorney Alvin Garcia told the Journal the actions taken against Valencia were a product of a "retaliation" against his client "for reporting corruption (within the department) and not participating in cover-ups." "He was warned that things would come back to bite him," Garcia said. "And they have."

Notice of action The allegations against Valencia are spelled out in a DPS document that calls for Valencia's certification as an officer to be revoked, which was written by state Law Enforcement Academy Board director Arthur Ortiz. Valencia is scheduled to go before the board Thursday for a formal hearing. The board is expected to determine his fate at a meeting in March.

The FBI was investigating a separate case two years ago when the agency recorded conversations between Valencia and Gonzales, according to FBI spokesman Darrin Jones. The FBI - which was not investigating Valencia - turned over the information to Santa Fe police and that ended the bureau's involvement in the matter, according to Jones. Jones, who would not say what the FBI investigation was about, said Valencia was not being wiretapped.

According to Ortiz's document, Valencia spoke with a "known criminal and drug dealer" by phone Feb. 22 and 26, 2008. During those conversations, Valencia "agreed to provide" a gun to Gonzales, who planned on using it to commit murder, the document states. The document also says Valencia "provided the criminal with a description of an undercover officer who was possibly investigating the criminal, and provided the criminal with information and advice adverse to law enforcement." Another document associated with the academy board investigation states Valencia was "degrading law enforcement by speaking negatively about his fellow officers to a known criminal." And when Santa Fe police talked to Valencia about the incident, the detective "was untruthful with investigating officers," according to Ortiz's reports. The academy board sent Valencia a notice of contemplated action in August.

The next month, the detective went before the board for an informal hearing, where Valencia "took no responsibility for his actions, saying it was a misunderstanding because he was conducting a ruse on the informant to obtain information from him," according to the report. Garcia, Valencia's attorney, said Valencia has "been labeled a dirty cop before he has an opportunity to present his side." He contends police administration higher-ups became upset with Valencia after he refused to participate in "cover-ups," but he wouldn't be more specific. Valencia's alleged wrongdoing took place under the administration of former Police Chief Eric Johnson. Current Chief Aric Wheeler was a deputy chief at the time.

Entrapment claim

Valencia was doing his job when he met Gonzales and followed all protocol, without knowing he was being set up, Garcia said. "This guy didn't just fall out of a tree and land at the doorstep and ask for a gun," Garcia said. "They were entrapping him." Garcia denies Valencia was offering to provide a weapon to Gonzales. Garcia also contends the City Attorney's Office has engaged in activity that is "unfair and perhaps illegal" by not producing to his client the Santa Fe police internal affairs documentation or the FBI recordings. Garcia said he expects to file a tort claim notice with the city this week and will spell out his allegations in a coming lawsuit. Garcia said Wheeler recommended Valencia's termination last Thursday, though Wheeler declined to comment on that, citing the case as a confidential personnel matter and the prospect of litigation.

The termination must be approved by the city manager, and Valencia will have a chance to appeal. Allan Lopez, who was elected to replace Valencia as head of the Santa Fe Police Officers Association in December, said that if the allegations are true, they would "have a big impact on our Police Department and our extended law enforcement family." Lopez said that the allegations are "serious and alarming" and that, while the union supports due process for everyone, "we can never condone or support these allegations," if they're found to be true. Lopez also said the allegations first surfaced about a year ago, and the Police Department and City Hall administration were aware of them. He said there was a union "no confidence" vote against Valencia in January 2009.

Former Corrections Officer Robert Fuentes Sentenced to ONE Year for Accident that Killed Motorcyclist

A former corrections officer who ran a red light and killed a motorcyclist in Albuquerque has been sentenced to a year in prison.

A judge imposed the sentence on 39-year-old Robert Fuentes for one count of leaving the scene of an accident under a plea bargain prosecutors offered because they would have a difficult time proving Fuentes was driving.

The former jail corrections officers reportedly ran several red lights at speeds up to 90 mph before hitting a motorcycle driven by 48-year-old Paul Souther on April 20, 2008. Souther died at the scene, and Fuentes didn't turn himself in until the next day.

Souther's family objected to the deal, asking Judge Neil Candelaria to reject it at Friday's sentencing. Candelaria ordered Fuentes to serve the year sentence in full.

Information from: KRQE-TV, http://www.krqe.com

Detention Officer Larry Martinez & Wife Accused of Stealing Prescription Drugs

Roosevelt County Sheriff Darren Hooker says a county detention center officer was fired Friday after being accused of stealing prescription drugs from the jail to sell on the street.

Hooker said Larry Martinez, 36, and his wife, Jesseka Martinez, 35, are facing assorted felony drug charges.

Larry Martinez, 36, was arrested for stealing Xanax from the detention center and giving it to his wife.

“He was charged with trafficking a controlled substance... Xanax,” Deputy Nathan Kinnison said.

Detention Center Administrator David Casanova said he doesn’t know how Martinez was able to get access to the drugs because the thefts happened before he was hired to run the jail.

According to police:

• On New Years’ eve, sheriff’s officers and members of Region V Drug Task Force contacted Jesseka Martinez at her home in the 1700 block of U.S. 236.

• Undercover agents had been purchasing marijuana from her since October as part of an undercover operation.

• During the investigation, Jesseka Martinez told officers her husband was a guard at the detention center and was stealing drugs from the center.

• “She allowed us to search the house,” Kinnison said. “We found marijuana, drug paraphernalia and prescription drugs in the house. So that is a misdemeanor and fourth degree felony.”

• During interrogation, Larry Martinez admitted stealing Xanax from the center and giving it to his wife, said Kinnison. He was charged with felony drug trafficking.

• Larry Martinez was behind bars at the center Friday in lieu of $20,000 cash-only bond. His wife was jailed in lieu of $7,000 cash-only bond.

Officer Eugene Rodella Fired After Fight at Bar

Eugene Rodella has been fired from his job as an Española police officer because of a fight two months ago at a tattoo parlor and hookah bar, according to Española Police Chief Julian Gonzales.

And it remains to be seen whether he can keep his license to be a cop as a law enforcement board mulls punishment for Rodella's involvement in the Oct. 7 off-duty rumble that sent two people to the hospital.

Gonzales said Rodella's termination was effective Wednesday of last week and was based on actions that the chief deemed as "firing offenses."

"There was substantial information developed through the internal affairs investigation to show he broke some criminal laws by committing assault and battery on the owner of the tattoo parlor," Gonzales said Friday.

The chief said Rodella - who, according to a State Pol ice report, ad m it ted drinking before the ruckus - "brought negative publicity to the city" and did not conduct himself appropriately as an off-duty officer in engaging in the fight.

The incident began when Rodella and younger brother Gabriel Rodella went to the Dragon's Lair Hookah Lounge and Defiant Artist Tattoo Parlor, where they instigated a fight with someone associated with the shops, according to police documents and 911 recordings.

The Rodella brothers went into the hookah lounge - which adjoins the tattoo shop - and confronted Christopher Whitsell, whom the brothers accused of beating up their nephew, T.J. Rodella, in a fight that took place at the same location the night before.

T.J. Rodella is the son of state Rep. Debbie Rodella, D-Española, and former Rio Arriba County Magistrate Tommy Rodella - the brother of Eugene and Gabriel Rodella. Tommy Rodella is running for Rio Arriba County sheriff.

Gabriel Rodella began punching and choking Whitsell in the parking lot before Whitsell tried to get away by running into the tattoo shop, according to police reports. The Rodellas chased after Whitsell and followed him into a room where Española police Detective Bryan Martinez was getting a tattoo.

The Rodellas pushed their way into the room and began fighting with tattoo shop owner Marlo Gray, who was sent to the hospital following the fight, as was Whitsell.

In a recording of 911 call, Detective Martinez can he heard telling officer Rodella, "You can't be doing that (expletive), bro." He also told a dispatcher, "They just came in here and broke a bunch of (expletive) and beat up a couple of guys."

Chief Gonzales said he sent Eugene Rodella - who was placed on paid administrative leave after the incident - notice on Nov. 23 that he was contemplating termination after an internal affairs investigation was concluded. The chief then met with Rodella, who gave his side of the story. After consulting with the department's deputy chiefs, Gonzales made a final decision to fire Rodella, the chief said.

Rodella can appeal the decision through a city grievance officer. Efforts to reach the Rodellas since the October fight have been unsuccessful.

According to the Rio Grande Sun, the hookah lounge and tattoo parlor closed down recently because of questions about whether the businesses

were properly licensed.

Eugene Rodella is facing other possible action. He took part in an informal hearing Thursday with state Law Enforcement Academy Director Arthur Ortiz, where they discussed the tattoo parlor incident, Ortiz said Friday.

Rodella faces possible punishment from the board, which he had already been in hot water with stemming from a prior case involving domestic violence allegations, Ortiz said. In March, Rodella was placed on one year's probation and other sanctions because of the previous case, which did not result in criminal charges.

With the latest alleged incident at the tattoo parlor, Rodella faces a potential five-year revocation of his law enforcement certification. If that sanction is imposed, he would have to go before the board after the revocation period to get recertified, Ortiz said. Rodella could also get lesser penalties, such as a lighter suspension period or more probation, or the matter could be dismissed by the law enforcement board altogether.

Ortiz said he will make a decision on what he intends to recommend to the board next week.

Whether Rodella face criminal charges from the October fight remains up in the air. District Attorney Angela "Spence" Pacheco has said her office continues to investigate.

Officer Brad Ahrensfield Charged with Making False Statements

A federal grand jury has charged an Albuquerque police officer with obstruction of justice for warning a business owner about a drug trafficking investigation.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Albuquerque said Thursday that Brad Ahrensfield also is charged with making a false statement to federal agents.

The indictment accuses Ahrensfield of telling the owner of an Albuquerque business called Car Shop about a joint state and federal drug trafficking investigation in September.

The Attorney's Office says when federal investigators confronted Ahrensfield about the leak, he lied about what he knew of the investigation and to whom he had given the information.

Ahrensfield faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of both charges.

Jail Guard Joey Montoya Charged with Raping Female Prisoner

An Española jail guard faces a rape charge after his alleged sexual assault of a female detainee.

Police also are investigating the role of another guard there, who was placed on administrative leave after the incident.

Joey Montoya, 21, was on duty at Española Police Department's holding facility Saturday when he left with a 20-year-old woman who was there for alcohol detox following a domestic dispute, according to police Lt. Christian Lopez.

Montoya offered the woman a ride home in his own vehicle and, along the way, he drove her to an area behind Española High School, where the two had sex, Lopez said.

Montoya admitted to the intercourse, but said it was consensual. Lopez said the woman told police that she went a long with the encounter out of intimidation.

According to a police statement of probable cause, the woman begrudgingly went along with it. "(She) stated that she never told Mr. Montoya no or to stop because she did not know where she was at and didn't want him to leave her there," the report states.

Montoya then dropped off the woman at the same home where she had been involved in the dispute that landed her in detox.

Before the woman got out of Montoya's truck, the officer "told her that she could not say anything because he would get into a lot of trouble," according to the report.

The woman then told her mother - with whom she had the earlier domestic dispute - and the mother called police.

Officers originally were dispatched to the woman's home at about 5 a.m. Saturday after receiving a call that she and her mother were involved in an altercation, Lopez said. The woman had left with her boyfriend before police arrived.

But the couple argued inside the boyfriend's vehicle and he ended up dropping her off on N.M. 106, on the south side of town. A Santa Clara Pueblo tribal officer in the area saw the woman walking alongside the road and contacted Española police.

An officer then came by and took the woman - who had been drinking - to the hold- ing facility to sober up.

"She was intoxicated on the side of the road and we couldn't take her home where she had been involved in the incident with her mother," Lopez said. "Our concern was her safety at that point."

While at the facility - which is typically used to temporarily hold people for detox or following their arrests - the woman was told to strip out of her clothes and put on a jail jumpsuit. However, she didn't stay in custody very long after Montoya allegedly offered her a ride home, which the woman accepted, Lopez said.

Montoya was arrested at his home that afternoon. He faces charges of criminal sexual penetration and intimidation of a witness. The language in the rape charge states that the woman was "confined in a correctional facility or jail when the perpetrator is in a position of authority over the inmate."

Because of Montoya's job, Lopez would not say where he was jailed. The lieutenant did say that Montoya is out on bond.

Another guard who was working there at the time - whom Lopez would not name because he has not been charged - has been put on leave and police are investigating his role from that day.

Teen Girl Tasered in Head

The use of tasers by law enforcement is becoming increasingly controversial as more examples emerge of them being used improperly and causing victims serious harm. This New Mexico teen was arguing with her mother, so her mother brought her to a police station to get help (it's unclear what kind of argument they could have been having that would warrant police intervention).

The girl ran off and the police chief chased her and ordered her to stop. When she didn't, he tasered her in the head. The giant scar and stitches in the teen's head show the tasering was terribly brutal, and it's difficult to see how this could in any way be justified.
_______________
Information and Video: http://vivirlatino.com/2009/07/08/girl-tasered-in-new-mexico.php

Deputy Brian Vigil Charged with Robbing Pharmacy

A Rio Arriba County sheriff's deputy is facing charges following an armed standoff with police after he allegedly robbed a pharmacy.

Santa Fe Police Capt. Gary Johnson says negotiators got 37-year-old Brian Vigil to give up Monday afternoon and he was transported to a Santa Fe hospital.

Police say they followed Vigil from the pharmacy to a nearby field, where he alternated between sitting down, standing up and cursing at police, all while holding a gun to his own head.

No one was injured and no shots were fired during the two-hour standoff.

Vigil faces charges of robbery, tampering with evidence and five counts of possession of a controlled substance.

Vigil had been on light duty since January because of a head injury he received while on the job.

---

Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com
More Information: http://www.kcbd.com/Global/story.asp?S=10345696

Sgt. Andrew Gallegos Could Face Charges in Woman's Death

The attorney for an Albuquerque police officer accused of driving over and killing a woman in the parking lot of a bar last year questions whether any crime was committed.

Prosecutors and the defense were both presenting testimony Monday morning in a hearing to determine whether there is probable cause for Sgt. Andrew Gallegos to stand trial for the death of 47-year-old Vera Haskell.

Officials contend that Gallegos was at Sidewinders bar on east Central Avenue in April of last year.

They say security video of the bar’s parking lot show Gallegos getting into his pickup truck and backing over the prone body of Haskell twice.

Investigators say the video shows Haskell’s body being dragged beneath the truck’s right front tire. She died of multiple internal injuries and almost all of her ribs were fractured.

Gallegos’ defense says investigators never positively identified the person driving the truck and that Haskell’s blood-alcohol level was nearly fatal.

“Is there a reason to believe that a crime was actually committed?” asked attorney Sam Bregman. “This person didn’t get hit by a car and go down. This person was at 0.436, highly intoxicated, lying underneath the truck.”

Gallegos has never been formally charged and wasn’t arrested until last December – eight months after the death.

Gallegos has said that he was at a party the night Haskell was killed and blacked out.

The probable cause hearing is expected to continue through Tuesday.

______________

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/Crime_krqe_albuquerque_apd_sgt_in_court_200903301300

Undercover Officer Richard Ramsdale Arrested for Having Cocaine in Police Car

ALAMOGORDO, N.M.

An undercover Alamogordo Department of Public Safety officer has been arrested after officers allegedly found 1.3 pounds of cocaine in his police unit.

Richard Ramsdale has served as an undercover police officer for the Alamogordo Department of Public Safety since last month, a year after he joined the department.

Before that, he served in the narcotics unit in the Otero County Sheriff's Department.

Investigators said the arrest doesn't appear to have compromised any criminal cases.

__________________

http://www.kvia.com/Global/story.asp?S=10056765

Corrections Officer Deandra McNeill Accused of having Sex with Inmate

GRANTS, N.M.

A Cibola County Detention Center corrections officer is accused of having sex with an inmate.

Deandra McNeill, 20, was arrested and charged with one count of criminal sexual penetration, according to a New Mexico State Police news release.

According to the release, McNeill and the inmate had an ongoing sexual relationship since early last month. She was fired on March 4.

McNeill is being held on a no-bond warrant at the McKinley County jail.

_____________________

http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=9984602&nav=menu505_2

Officer Mike Briseno Facing Battery Charge

FARMINGTON, N.M.

Farmington police officer Mike Briseno is facing misdemeanor battery charges following an altercation with his daughter's 17-year-old boyfriend.

San Juan County sheriff's investigators said Briseno apparently did not approve of the teen's relationship with his 13-year-old daughter and went to the boy's home Tuesday.

Briseno, who was off-duty at the time, allegedly got into a verbal altercation with the boy and his mother. It then turned physical.

Briseno is now on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.

A six-year veteran of the force, Briseno was named in a civil rights lawsuit in November 2004 in which a Farmington resident accused him and five other officers of police brutality. He also was the subject of a 2003 lawsuit involving another resident who claimed Briseno arrested him without probable cause and entered his home without a search warrant.

Briseno also was investigated on 22 allegations of police misconduct in 1997 while working for the Bloomfield Police Department. The investigation came after 200 people signed and delivered a petition to the department.

Briseno was cleared of any wrongdoing in all of the cases.

Truby said the investigation into Tuesday's altercation is ongoing.

———

Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com

More Information on Officer Briseno: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2008/09/officer-mike-briseno-accused-of.html

Sgt. Andrew Gallagos Charged with Running Over Woman

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

An off-duty Albuquerque police sergeant has been charged with running over and killing a woman in a bar parking lot in April.

Court records show Sgt. Andrew Gallegos was charged Dec. 12 with tampering with evidence and leaving the scene of an accident involving death or injury, a third-degree felony.

Gallegos, a 19-year-old veteran of the department, is accused of running over and killing Vera Haskell, 47, who was lying next to his truck in the Sidewinders parking lot. Police have said Gallegos drove off and did not call authorities.

Gallegos' attorney, Sam Bregman, said Wednesday his client is innocent.

Police Chief Ray Schultz said Gallegos has been on leave without pay since the incident, and internal affairs is investigating.


Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com

More Information: http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/crime_krqe_albuquerque_sidewinders_arrest_200901011745

Officer Harrison Largo Will Stand Trial for Murder

GALLUP, N.M.

San Juan County Magistrate Stacey Biel ruled Monday that a former Navajo police officer accused of shooting his live-in girlfriend will stand trial.

Harrison Largo faces charges of murder and tampering with evidence in the May shooting death of Frieda Smith, who was found at the couple's mobile home in Thoreau. She later died at an Albuquerque hospital.

According to court records, neighbors heard the couple arguing and saw Smith run from the home before three gunshots were fired.

Biel heard nearly four hours of testimony before deciding that Largo will stand trial. She also denied a defense motion to set bond for Largo, who remains in the Gallup-McKinley County jail.

Largo is expected to be arraigned in state district court within the next couple of weeks.

Detention Officer Accused of Smuggle Drugs into Jail

CLOVIS, N.M.

A Curry County detention center officer accused of trying to smuggle drugs into the jail has been arrested and fired.

Sheriff's deputies on Thursday arrested 36-year-old Julian Patrick Garcia on charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

He's also charged with bringing contraband into a jail, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, attempt to commit a felony by furnishing drugs to a prisoner and a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Bond was set at $56,000.

The arrest stems from an investigation into allegations an inmate was arranging for drugs to be smuggled in.

Jury Awards Former Officer $35,000

ALBUQUERQUE

Federal jurors have awarded $35,000 to a former state police officer who contended he was battered and unjustly arrested by Albuquerque police three years ago.

The jury ruled yesterday that Albuquerque police used excessive force against former officer Saul Canizales and wrongfully arrested him.

Canizales and another rookie state police officer were off duty in May 2005 when they got into a confrontation with Albuquerque officers.

Canizales and the other officer resigned shortly after their arrests.

Canizales' sued the Albuquerque police, alleging he was falsely arrested and suffered emotional distress after being battered.

The lawsuit contended Canizales was not threatening but was attacked by an officer.