APD shoots man; tally rises to four for 2012
Police say a dispute over drugs ended with an officer shooting an armed man in southeast Albuquerque.
The man was undergoing surgery Thursday at UNM Hospital. Police didn’t release his name but said he has an extensive criminal record.
Police Chief Ray Schultz says witnesses reported that the man was in the neighborhood Wednesday looking to settle a drug debt. He allegedly fired his rifle multiple times before leaving.
The man returned Thursday, and police say he was shot three times when he pointed his rifle at officers.
This marks the fourth officer-involved shooting this year.
Albuquerque officers have been involved in 24 shootings, with 17 fatalities, since January 2010. Some activists are calling for a federal investigation.
Last year, the department instituted a number of reforms aimed at giving officers better training and increasing hiring requirements.
‘Breaking Bad’ actor loves ABQ, not crime
An actor who plays a high-rolling drug dealer on the Emmy Award-winning AMC drama “Breaking Bad” is griping about crime in Albuquerque, where the show is filmed.
Aaron Paul tweeted this week that he was burglarized twice while shooting the hit series about a teacher and former student, played by Paul, who become partners in crime. He says his car and now his house were hit.
An April 1 police report obtained by KOAT-TV shows Paul reported a laptop, sunglasses and digital voice recorder stolen.
He later tweeted that he loves “Albuquerque and the people. Just felt violated and super sad to lose personal items from my home.”
They were later removed, but on Wednesday he tweeted to the station that he loves Albuquerque but hates the crime.
Las Vegas councilor arrested for fraud
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SANTA FE, N.M. — A former Las Vegas, N.M., city councilor and his business partner are facing securities fraud charges for bilking an investor out of $50,000 over a closed oxygen bar and spa in Albuquerque.
State officials announced Thursday that 44-year-old Frank Berged IV, of Albuquerque, and 45-year-old Brenda Duggan, of Corrales, N.M., have both been charged with fraudulent sale of securities, conspiracy, fraud, sale of unregistered securities and sale of securities without a license.
According to state authorities, both approached the potential investor, now serving as a Christian missionary in Zimbabwe, in August 2007 and promised a 10 percent interest in a spa company. Officials say both knew that the spa was in serious financial trouble and had closed its doors.
It was unclear if either had attorneys.
Cops: man sold home without telling owner
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — A Las Cruces man accused of selling his ex-wife’s home without her permission has been arrested.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that 37-year-old Reuben James Armijo faces forgery, perjury and fraud charges.
Police say Armijo pocketed about $45,000 from selling his ex-wife’s home after paying off a mortgage loan on the property that he bought in 2009.
His wife was awarded the home in their divorce settlement.
Armijo is accused of asking his cousin in Colorado to notarize a forged quit-claim deed in 2009 to which Armijo allegedly later testified to its authenticity in court.
Police say Armijo’s former wife denied signing the deed and said she was out of the state when the document was notarized.
State cites center for mishandling waste
GALLUP, N.M. — Gallup Indian Medical Center is facing a $36,000 fine from the state Environmental Department for improperly handling infectious waste.
An order and citation obtained by the Gallup Independent says the hospital sent infectious medical waste to a transfer station that does not accept it, and failed to label or bag it correctly.
The Environmental Department began investigating after a landfill manager notified the agency that workers had found a bag of hazardous medical waste in a trash shipment from the hospital.
More waste was found on subsequent inspections.
Hospital spokeswoman Genevieve Notah says the hospital has taken action to address the problems. The hospital can appeal the fine once it is finalized.
Guardsman pleads guilty in sex case
A former National Guard recruiter in Lubbock, Texas, has pleaded guilty in a teen sex sting case set up by police in New Mexico.
Jeffrey Neal Jackson pleaded guilty to a coercion and enticement of a minor charge in a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.
The 44-year-old agreed to a 10-year prison sentence, lifetime supervised release and sex offender registration.
Federal prosecutors say Jackson began an online relationship with someone he thought was a 15-year-old girl but who turned out to be a detective in the Curry County, N.M, Sheriff’s Office. He traveled to Clovis, N.M., expecting to have sex with the teenager but was arrested after arriving at a decoy house carrying a box of condoms.
Jackson has been in custody since his arrest last October.
