socorro police department

Socorro Police Department

The following items were taken from reports at the Socorro Police Department

Jan. 15

An officer was dispatched to the 700 block of Giles Lane in reference to a violation of a protection order. The complainant believed her ex-boyfriend hacked into her Facebook account and began messaging friends and family members. The officer viewed several messages where the suspect took over the conversation and made statements towards the recipient of the message to “back off,” and that the complainant was his “baby mama.” She was advised to change the passwords on all her accounts. The suspect was no longer able to get into her accounts and was advised a report would be made on the incident.

An officer was requested by the Socorro Fire Department to Parkview Elementary School, where a fire alarm had gone off from fireworks set in the Kindergarten hall. The principal found that whoever was in the school had stolen an AED defibrillator machine valued at $2,500. A security camera video was viewed and showed the identity of the suspect. The officer went to several residences looking for the suspect but was not able to locate him initially, but information came on another residence and the suspect was picked up there. At the police department, he admitted he had broken into the elementary school and had taken laptop computers and still has them in his possession at a residence on Chaparral Drive. He also stated he taken items like pens and pencils and had eaten food inside the school. Officer took the suspect to the residence where officers were able to locate the computers. Stolen items were found in a closet. Charges were filed. The suspect also returned the key to the school.

Jan. 16

An officer was advised of the location of a man who was wanted on an arrest warrant. The suspect was found in an apartment in the 500 block of Park Street and placed under arrest. He was incarcerated at the SCDC on the warrant.

An officer was dispatched to Ark of Socorro in reference to a stolen trailer. The manager of the Ark of Socorro stated the last time she can confirm the white enclosed trailer was there is on Jan. 13 or Jan. 14. The owner of the trailer who lives out of town was contacted by the manager. The officer emailed a theft declaration to the owner of the trailer. There were no clear suspects, but the trailer was located in Valencia County on February 3.

Jan. 17

An officer was summoned to a residence in the 700 block of Second Street for a report of a teenage girl being beaten up at a party. After the officer was told the party was in the county, New Mexico State Police was contacted so the report could be made.

An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of Bullock Ave. in regards to a fistfight. The officer made contact with the victim who stated the suspect came in through her back door with an extra house key he had. She stated she was in the bathroom with the door unlocked. The suspect broke the bathroom door to gain entrance and asked her if she had drugs or a shot of meth because he was going to have a seizure. The victim stated they began to argue and the suspect hit her two times on her face with a closed fist and pushed her down twice. The officer noticed a bruise mark on her left cheek near her eye and noticed the bathroom door had damage to the frame near the doorknob.  The victim then called the suspect’s nephew and caretaker. The caretaker said when he showed up the suspect pushed him and began to threaten him. When the caretaker told him not to push him the suspect pushed him a second time. A fistfight ensued and when the suspect ran outside he called the police. The caretaker did not want to pursue charges on the suspect at this time. He claimed he did not hit the female and that she had let him in the residence and allowed him to stay at the residence at times. The suspect was arrested and incarcerated at the SCDC. The damage to the door was estimated at $150.

An officer was dispatched to a residence in the 1100 block of Chaparral Drive in reference to domestic violence that occurred the previous night. The officer made contact with the victim who said the night before she had gotten into an argument with her wife because she had been taking too much pain medicine and was becoming addicted. The victim stated the argument started in the living room and continued in the bedroom where the suspect pushed over a 40-inch Hisense TV, which knocked over a Virgin Mary statue, breaking both. The suspect got in her car and left. The officer was able to locate the suspect who stated she had got into an argument the night before because of a misunderstanding, but the victim wouldn’t listen so she left. The TV was valued at $250 and $25 for the Virgin Mary statue.

A woman came to the police station to report a larceny. She said she was talking with a female at the female’s residence and when she was leaving the female tried to keep her purse. She was able to get her purse and leave, but when she later checked her purse, and noticed $90 was missing. The victim thinks she took the money but did not actually see her do it. The officer has not been able to locate the female for comment. No charges have been filed.

An officer was dispatched to a residence in the 200 block of Fifth Street for a burglary. The reporting party stated her son’s PlayStation 4, two PlayStation 4 controllers, and the video game Grand Theft Auto 5 were taken from the living room inside her home. The victim named a male who lives in a small trailer in the back yard entered the home through the unlocked backdoor which was unlocked and took the items. There are no surveillance cameras, nor did anyone see the suspect do this. The officer made contact with the suspect who denied entering the home due to contracting the novel coronavirus. He also denied knowing anything about the missing PlayStation 4, two controllers and video game disk. No more info at the time of the report.

A man who had been previously trespassed from Walmart was caught walking out of the store with three sets of headphones valued at $160.38. He was ordered to place his hands behind his back to be handcuffed. The suspect was booked and incarcerated at the Socorro County Detention Center.

Jan. 18

Officers were dispatched to a residence in the 1100 block of Chaparral in reference to a domestic. The victim told officers the male suspect woke up in a bad mood because the house was cold. She said he began to throw things. He then head-butted her, bit her top lip, squeezed her on the ribs, and then choked her. She tried to call her mom to leave, but he kept taking her phone away and not allowing her to leave. The victim had a bruise on her forehead, a cut on her lip, and complained that her ribs were hurting, but she denied the offer of treatment by EMTs. A search for the suspect proved unsuccessful. A warrant for his arrest was obtained, which was entered into NCIC.

Officers were called to the scene of a fight near the channel ditch on Hope Farm Road. On arrival, officers located the suspect’s car wrecked in a ditch. The suspect said he was driving and lost control, running into the ditch. The officer met with the two victims who called in the fight. The juveniles stated the male suspect saw them driving and he thought his ex-girlfriend was in the car with them. The suspect attempted to run the victims off the road and cut them off with his vehicle. The suspect then exited the car and began yelling at the victims. The female victim then got on her phone to call police and the suspect left. The victims asked that charges be filed.

The following items were taken from reports at the Socorro County Sheriff’s Department

Jan. 5

An officer was dispatched to the area of mile marker 158 on Interstate 25 in reference to a vehicle that was left on the side of the road overnight and was burglarized. The owner of the vehicle stated that he had a flat tire earlier that night and was now coming to tow his vehicle. When he got back, the car window was broken and some items were taken from inside. He described a large black chest-like box of cleaning supplies and two Cobra walkie-talkies that had been taken. Other than the broken driver side window and the items described the vehicle appeared to be in the same condition he left it. Officers were able to find some footprints and tire tracks leaving the area. The right front tire had a small spare on it with enough air to move a short distance. The owner was able to drive it onto a car dolly so that it could be towed. He did state when he started the car that it sounded funny and something may be wrong. The victim drove home to Las Cruces and later contacted the officers from there. He said that his exhaust was cut in two places with a saw likely where the catalytic converter was located, which would explain the loud engine noises when he started the vehicle. No suspect at the time of report.

An officer was dispatched at 10:45 p.m. to County Road 91 in Lemitar on a trespassing call. The female calling in said her brother was trespassing on her property and that he had a warrant for his arrest. She said that he was in a camper trailer behind her house. She did not want him there anymore and he would not leave. The deputy went to the camper trailer and called out to the suspect, who then exited. A check with NCIC showed he had an arrest warrant out of Colorado. The suspect was booked into jail awaiting paperwork from Colorado.

An officer was requested at 11:55 p.m. to assist another officer on a possible drive-by shooting on Community Road in Polvadera. Officers located several spent bullet casings on a ditch bank on the west side of the property. The .223 bullet casings, which are commonly associated with an AR-15 rifle, were marked, photographed and collected for evidence. Also located were a set of fresh tire prints with a distinctive tread pattern on same the ditch bank near the bullet casings. Several bullet holes were observed on the west side of the victim’s home, and the officer was able to dig out a small piece of a bullet that was embedded in the sheetrock inside the home. Several bullet holes were noted all around the living room area where the victim had been sitting when the shooting occurred.  There were also bullet holes in the kitchen and dining room area. The following morning the officer returned and followed the tire tracks on the ditch bank south from Community Road onto the ditch bank and exited the ditch bank turning onto Val Verde Road. Photos of the tire tracks were shown to another deputy, who had possibly located the suspect’s vehicle on Bonita Road. The two rear tires matched the tracks on the ditch ban where the bullet casings were located. On the floorboard were bullet casings in plain view on the driver’s side that resembled the ones located on the ditch bank near the victim’s residence. The vehicle was sealed and towed to the Socorro County Annex yard pending a search warrant. The owner of the property stated she knew the owner of the vehicle, and he had left the car there in the past when he was going to work on it. She had seen him at approximately 9-9:30 p.m. at the Lemitar truck stop the night before and asked her if he could take his vehicle to her home later on, to work on it. Deputies learned of a residence on Bonita Road the suspect normally stays at. Officers drove to the home where the owner gave them to come in to look for the suspect. In a bedroom, deputies noted an AR-15 rifle. It was later learned that the suspect had left that residence and returned later on the night of the shooting. A sheriff’s detective Nance obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s vehicle where three spent bullet casings were found on the driver’s side floorboard, all with the same markings as those on the ditch bank. The AR-15, its magazine, and the spent bullet casings were all be sent to the Santa Fe Forensic Lab for firearms tool matches, latent prints, and possibly DNA testing.

Jan. 6

A deputy was asked at 3:30 p.m. to standby at Socorro Electric Cooperative and wait for an individual who was wanted for a shooting at a house the night before and was driving a vehicle that belonged to a co-op employee. The officer met the suspect in the parking lot, told him what he was being charged with, and placed him under arrest. He also had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. After being cleared at the hospital he was transported to SCDC for incarceration.

Jan. 8

An officer was dispatched at approximately 6 a.m. to a residence on Palo Duro in Veguita in reference to a vehicle being stolen. While en route, the officer received a description and license number of the vehicle, a yellow Chevy pickup. The officer spotted the truck heading east on Highway 60 and attempted to stop the vehicle at the intersection of Highway 60 and Highway 304. The vehicle pulled over for a second, but as the officer got closer the vehicle turned around and proceeded north on Highway 304. The officer notified dispatch that a pursuit was in progress. The stolen Chevy left the roadway and went through a fence into the desert and then doubled back onto Highway 304. The pickup was then found crashed into the fence of the Boys and Girls Ranch a mile and a half north of the officer. The officer approached the vehicle and called for the driver to come out and no one responded. An assisting deputy arrived and the officers found that no one was inside the truck. It was believed that the suspect had been picked up by a tan SUV that was in the area when the truck was first spotted. The owner of the pickup was contacted to come to get his vehicle and when he arrived saw that his black toolbox, impact wrench and pliers were stolen. The officers drove around Veguita looking for the tan SUV but were unsuccessful.

Jan. 11

An officer was dispatched to Magdalena in reference to a hit and run that involved a truck being hit from behind by another vehicle. On arrival, the officer learned that the suspect vehicle had already been pulled over by the Magdalena Marshal. The victim said she was driving west on Highway 60 and a red car hit her from behind. She said she got scared because she noticed a small child in the car that hit her and went to get ahold of law enforcement. She stopped Marshal Zamora and pointed out the red Dodge Avenger without a front bumper that was now driving into Magdalena. The car’s hood was open obstructing the entire windshield and there was heavy front end damage to the front of it. A male was standing outside of the car and a young child was in the back seat. The male, who emitted a heavy odor of an alcoholic beverage, admitted he was the driver but denied hitting anything with the vehicle. He was swaying back and forth, his eyes were bloodshot and watery and he was having trouble focusing while talking to the officer. He was given and failed field sobriety tests and placed under arrest for DWI. An ambulance checked all parties involved and there were no reported injuries and the young girl was taken from the scene by the suspect’s mother-in-law. While transporting the suspect back to Socorro, he told the officer that everyone was going to be mad at him for driving drunk like that with his daughter. He said he didn’t know if he went off the road or hit something. He also told the officer that he had gone to the Circle K and bought multiple bottles of 99 Grapes Schnapps and another type of alcohol and drank it before he left Socorro for Magdalena. At the Sheriff’s office, a breath test showed readings of .24 and .25 BAC. He was booked into the Socorro County Detention Center. The bumper from a red Dodge Avenger was found along Highway 60 at mile marker 118.

 

El Defensor Chieftain