Shoppers outside a West Central Walgreens got a vision of old-fashioned wild west law enforcement last week. Officers from APD’s horse-mounted unit were on patrol near Coors and Central on March 20 when an employee of a nearby Walgreens alerted them to a man who had just shoplifted from the store. Three officers (and their […]
Courts, Justice & Safety
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
Court Records Detail Albuquerque Firefighter’s Arrest in Rio Rancho
In the past two weeks, three Albuquerque firefighters have been arrested and charged with driving under the influence. On March 13, Rio Rancho Police officers were dispatched to Cleveland High School for a welfare check. AFR Driver Angelo Abeyta allegedly left the scene in a gray Toyota Tundra and showed signs of impairment when stopped […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety
Court records detail arrests of three Albuquerque Fire Rescue employees
Michael Hodock/Sandoval Signpost In the past two weeks, three Albuquerque Fire Rescue employees — one firefighter and two drivers — have been arrested and charged with driving under the influence. In a press release, AFR Fire Chief Emily Jaramillo said, “Albuquerque Fire Rescue takes off-duty incidents seriously. These actions are not representative of the mission […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety
Prosecutors charge a South Carolina man with carjacking and the killing of a New Mexico officer
Susan Montoya Bryan/Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A South Carolina man has been charged with two federal counts stemming from the killing of a New Mexico state police officer, federal and state prosecutors announced Friday. An unsealed criminal complaint charges Jaremy Smith, 33, with two counts: carjacking resulting in death and discharge of a firearm […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety
Attorney: DWI corruption scheme ‘goes outward and upward’
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include details recently obtained from Joshua Montaño’s resignation letter. When officer Joshua Montaño was put on administrative leave after the news broke on Jan. 18 that the FBI was investigating him, his colleagues in the DWI unit and a local defense attorney, he said he thought he’d […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety
ACLU demands independent investigation into officer-involved killing of unarmed woman
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico is calling for a transparent and thorough investigation into the death of an unarmed woman at the hands of the Albuquerque Police Department (APD). According to the Albuquerque Journal, the woman was killed in Northeast Albuquerque where she was hiding from police in a backyard shed. […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, National News
Supreme Court opens new frontier for insurrection claims that could target state and local officials
By MORGAN LEE and NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two recent U.S. Supreme Court actions have opened the door to a new legal frontier in which local and state officials can be disqualified from office for life for engaging in “insurrection” or providing “aid and comfort” to enemies of the Constitution, […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety
Guilty: Muhammad Syed convicted in first of three trials for Albuquerque’s Muslim homicides
On Monday morning, after just under two hours of deliberation, a jury found Muhammad Syed guilty of first-degree murder in the first of three trials where he was accused of gunning down Muslim men. Syed, an Afghan refugee, is facing a mandatory life sentence for killing Aftab Hussein. The trial lasted four days in the […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety
Life continues for family of man accused in Albuquerque’s Muslim murders
In the year and a half since Muhammad Syed was arrested and charged in the fatal shootings of three Muslim men, his family — refugees from Afghanistan — has remained in Albuquerque. One of his children got divorced. Another enrolled in community college to study to be a dental hygienist after pleading guilty to a […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, Downtown, Housing & Homelessness
Business owner, deputy commander talk crime in Albuquerque’s Downtown
Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment in a series titled Downtown Albuquerque Reboot, about the city’s center, its challenges and the plans to address them. Read about why the area matters here, about vacant buildings here, peruse a photo essay about lowriders here, and end with what the area has to offer here. On […]