The sheriff’s department is located in the Socorro County court house.

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

Feb. 19

An officer was dispatched at 1 p.m. to Military Road in reference to a stolen vehicle. The victim stated that he found that one of his work trucks had been taken from the dairy. He said he keeps the keys in the white GMC 2500 pickup truck so his employees can have access whenever they need it. The last time he saw the truck was around 2 p.m. the day before. The truck does have some body damage and is difficult to start, because of a broken ignition. He believes a former employee took it because only his employees know how to start it. There was no evidence left at the scene that would lead to a suspect. A theft declaration was signed and the vehicle will be entered into NCIC. No further information at the time of the report.

Feb. 21

An officer was dispatched at 11:11 a.m. Kuntz Road in Veguita in reference to a burglary. The victim said that a wall panel of his shop was removed and all the tools from his shelf were removed and some were stolen. A few bags and some boxes of tools were left behind the shop. He stated many power tools were stolen but he did not know what exactly was stolen, except a few saws and a drill. The victim pointed out two sets of footprints that left the property headed south towards Kuntz Road. The tracks met up with a set of bike tracks that then led northeast on Kuntz down a small two-track road, and stopping near some mesquite bushes on the road. The victim said a possible suspect was his brother’s friend, who was known for stealing things and had been in the shop the day before. He also kept a bike in the back of his black Lincoln Navigator. In the officers’ presence, the victim called his brother to get more information about the suspect. His brother stated that he found the suspect in Belen at a home near the Wisconsin Bridge and got all the tools back. The victim stated he would speak to his brother and call the officer if he decided to press charges on the suspect.

Feb. 23

An officer received a phone call from the dispatch center at 2:15 a.m. about a female at a residence on Bosquecito Road who was yelling at the male victim. Upon arrival, the victim said he called 911 because his ex-girlfriend of several years had been at his home and standing naked on the hood of his car and yelling at him. He said when she saw him calling 911 she got in her car and drove away, continuing to yell. He said he would like a report completed on the matter. The officer conducted a search of the surrounding area but was not able to locate her at the time. No further information at this time.

Feb. 26

An officer was asked at 9 a.m. to speak with a woman on Sixth Street in reference to her daughter who was misbehaving. The mother told the officer she has been having some issues with the juvenile. She said she had lent the girl some gloves and when she was done with them she threw them at her face. When asked why she did that she said she did not know. She stated that about two weeks ago, the girl got a family member in a chokehold to where he could not breathe. During the same time period, she picked up a family dog and chased a child with it until the dog attacked the child. The officer told the mother a report would be typed out and turn it over to Juvenile Probation and Parole as soon as possible.

Feb. 27

An officer assisted on a call answered by Socorro police at 10:30 a.m. concerning a fight between four to five individuals on Otero Avenue. On arrival, a female was being held back from fighting another female. Her information was run through dispatch which came back showing an active arrest warrant. Her backpack was searched and the officer found several syringes, a pipe of some sort, and a glass container with a small amount of a crystal-like white powdery substance believed to be meth. Her warrant was confirmed and she was taken in for her arrest paperwork and the backpack containing the evidence was secured.

Feb. 28

Officers were sent to Magdalena at 4 p.m. to assist a Deputy Marshal with a search warrant for stolen property on a residence in the 300 block of Kelly Road. At the residence, officers announced their presence, stating several times there was a search warrant for the premises, all while knocking on the front door for approximately 10 seconds. When no one answered or came to the door entry was made into the home. The officer moved through the living room into the kitchen area and detained a male suspect. When he was handcuffed, he was searched for weapons, and the officer I found a loaded Ruger LCP 380 pistol in his right pocket. The gun was unloaded and secured in a police vehicle. After everyone inside the home was detained and the home was cleared, the suspect was taken to Socorro General Hospital for medical clearance. He was then booked into SCDC on two outstanding warrants.

Mar. 2

An officer was dispatched at 10:05 a.m. to Smittle Road in reference to a female lying in the road. On arrival, the officer was told by the female that her husband had hit her in the head which caused her to fall and hit her stomach. She left the house to get away and collapsed down the road where she was found. An ambulance was called and she was transferred to Socorro General Hospital. Deputies then went to speak with the husband, who could be heard yelling inside the home. The husband was asked to come outside and he kept yelling that he was in there and for the deputies to “come and get him.” On entering the home, the offer saw the laying on a bed fully dressed and saying, “what the **** do you guys want?” He was told he was under arrest for domestic battery and read his Miranda rights. He said he didn’t do anything to his wife. He also claimed that he did not understand his rights. With nothing left to talk about, the officer placed him in the unit vehicle and then transported to Socorro General Hospital for a medical Clearance. The officer had personal knowledge that the husband has been arrested numerous times for domestic battery on the victim and has a history of violent behavior toward his wife and community along with mental health issues.

Mar. 3

An officer was on routine duty at 9:30 a.m. and noticed a car traveling east on Otero Avenue with an expired license plate sticker. Dispatch confirmed that the plate was expired and the officer pulled the driver over at the smoke shack’s drive-up window on Vigil. The driver used his telephone to retrieve his driver’s license. While speaking with the driver, the officer could see in plain view on the back seat of the vehicle, a clear glass bong and a creamish-colored substance in the bowl of the bong. When asked if he had a medical marijuana card which would give some reasoning as to why he would have paraphernalia in the vehicle the driver said no. Being that the bong was in plain view the officer opened the rear door and removed it to further inspect and try to determine the substance in the bowl. The driver objected to this, so the officer explained that it was in plain view and was identified as paraphernalia and that there was evidence of use. After other deputies looked into the bowl the assumption was made that the substance in the bowl was THC wax. The driver was placed into custody and asked for consent to search the vehicle. He said that the vehicle was not his and claimed that nothing in the vehicle was his. He said that he got the vehicle from a friend in Lemitar. He was then asked to contact this friend in Lemitar so that the officer could ask this friend for consent to search the vehicle. While waiting for the friend to arrive, the officer noted in plain view the end of a sandwich bag in the center console. Next to this sandwich bag was a small plastic cup. Both of these items appeared to be paraphernalia. The subject arrived and explained that he gave this car along with the title to the suspect a few weeks ago and he didn’t know what was in the vehicle. With this information, the officer again met with the suspect, who still refused to give consent to search the vehicle. The vehicle was sealed and towed pending a search warrant . The suspect was released from custody and allowed to Leave. A search warrant was executed on the following day which turned up a black backpack containing one pound and six ounces of methamphetamine in two separate bags. Also located on the floorboard below the driver’s seat were multiple crystals of methamphetamine. In the center console was a plastic baggie with a small amount of crystal-like substance. It tested positive for methamphetamine. The baggie was right next to the suspect when he was seated in the driver’s seat. Shards of meth throughout the floorboard of the car indicated that they likely came from this baggie. The one-pound, six ounces of methamphetamine are well above personal use indicating intent to traffic methamphetamine. The suspect’s criminal record shows at least one previous conviction for trafficking methamphetamine.

socorro police department

Socorro Police Department at 407 Center Street.

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

Feb. 24

An officer on patrol in the vicinity of Spring and Park streets noticed two females who appeared to be in a physical altercation and made contact with them. One of the females began to walk off and ignored the officer’s commands to stop. She continued to walk and the officer attempted to detain her, but she resisted and was arrested. A check with NCIC showed she had a valid warrant for her arrest. The suspect was taken to the Police Department and processed and later booked into the SCDC.

A man on Abeyta reported that a male subject sent a threatening message to him that he was going to burn down his house and set fire to his car after the victim shared his criminal record online. The officer advised the victim to block the suspect on social media and phone. The officer was able to contact the suspect, who admitted to sending the message but said he was not going to act on the threat. The suspect was advised to stop all contact with the victim. The incident was documented.

Feb. 25

An officer assisting on a stop on Spring Street made contact with male suspect. The officer obtained the male suspect’s information and asked if the suspect would empty his pockets. The suspect agreed and produced a small metal tin with a black substance that was suspected to be heroin. The suspect was arrested and the NCIC check showed him to have a valid arrest warrant. The suspect and evidence were taken to the police department. The substance was field tested and showed positive for heroin. The suspect was processed and booked into SCDC.

A woman in the 600 block of Ivy said she woke up at 4 a.m. and noticed her car was missing. She called family members to see if anyone borrowed the car, but no one had used the car. The victim admitted that she had left the keys in the car. The vehicle was entered into NCIC as stolen. The victim later contacted police that she found her car in the Isleta Casino parking lot. She was able to recover her vehicle and it was removed from NCIC.

A female victim on Lucero reported that a man began sending emails to her the day a protection order expired. She said she did not want any contact with him and was going to be seeking a new protection order. The officer was provided with copies of the old order and the emails received from the suspect. The officer sent an email to him advising him to stop all contact with the victim or charges would be filed. The suspect has not responded at the time of the report.

A man in the 100 block of Neel called police about seeing a male exiting a window of a vacant home. The officers checked the home and did not find anyone in the area or home. The officer met with the owner of the home, who confirmed the home was vacant. The officer did document shoe prints in the basement of the home. The home was secured. At this time there are no suspects.

A male subject was found on the Sands Motel property and reminded he had been told once before not to return. The property is posted as no trespassing. A check with NCIC showed he was wanted on a warrant for his arrest. The suspect was arrested and booked into the SCDC.

El Defensor Chieftain