Jurisdictions join forces to close cases



By ERIC E. MULLENS

ALAMOSA — A rash of burglaries involving at least four jurisdictions may have been halted Wednesday night at the business end of a Monte Vista police officer’s taser.

Monte Vista officers and a Rio Grande County Sheriff’s deputy confronted a burglary suspect who was attempting to smash open a small safe outside on the grounds of Pleasant Western Lumber Wednesday, according to MVPD Sgt. Ivan Garcia.

The suspect, Jaime Villanueva-Garcia, 25, of Alamosa, attempted to flee when officers identified themselves, said Sgt. Garcia. At that point MVPD Officer Adam Cummings deployed his taser and the suspect was hit and fell to the ground. Sgt. Garcia said the suspect stiffened at the effect of the less than lethal weapon, and fell onto his face on a hard surface on the lumber yard grounds.

Villanueva-Garcia was handcuffed at the scene and then transported to San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center in Alamosa where he was evaluated and stabilized and then transported by ambulance to St. Mary Corwin Hospital in Pueblo.

Law enforcement officials at the Alamosa County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday night they expect Villanueva-Garcia may be released sometime today. If that happens, a member of that organization will be there to serve an arrest warrant. ACSO Investigator Gary Spangler told the Valley Courier Thursday night that a deputy was with the suspect at the Pueblo hospital where he is under a police hold.

Villanueva-Garcia’s arrest may have cleared up over a dozen burglaries reported in Alamosa, Alamosa County, Monte Vista and Rio Grande County that began Sat., Nov. 7. A common factor in all the cases appears to be a shoe print impression found at the various scenes.

Valley law enforcement agencies including the Homeland Security’s Office of Regional Crime Analysis worked together over the past days to identify and arrest a suspect in burglaries that began at businesses located in Alamosa County west of the city on the south side of Hwy. 160.

As the Alamosa Sheriff’s Office began their investigation it was soon apparent that a unique footwear impression had been found at a number of the crime scenes, said Spangler yesterday. He said sheriff’s deputies including Jeff Pearson and Sgt. Jim McCloskey were instrumental in recovering evidence from the scenes including the footprint impressions. That information was made available to all Valley law enforcement agencies through the crime analyses office headed by former Alamosa Police Department Captain John Michalke.

Monte Vista officers were aware of the ‘attempt to locate’ information regarding the burglaries when a burglary in progress was reported at shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday.

MVPD officers Evan Lopez, Adam Cummings and Lawrence Becktold responded to St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 1821 Grande Ave. Lopez and Cummings had made a preliminary search of the building when Becktold arrived and he joined in the investigation. Sgt. Garcia said the initial call to police was made by a church official who had been notified by a parishioner who may have interrupted the burglary. In a statement taken by police later in the night, the woman said she had entered the church and could hear noises in the basement she described as ‘rifling sounds” coming from downstairs. She left the church and called the parson who in turn called police. Officers found the majority of cabinets and cupboards in the church basement kitchen open when they searched. In addition they found footprints that were familiar from the burglary flyer, but they didn’t find a suspect in the building. Lopez and Cummings tracked the footprints away from the church area to Ulysses Blvd. and digital photographs of the footprint were sent to Spangler in Alamosa and the investigation team there recognized the unique Lugz shoe print of the multiple burglary suspect.

As Becktold continued the investigation at the church, Lopez, Cummings and RGSO deputy Angela Steffens responded to a burglar alarm at Valley Gun Service, 1419 E. Hwy. 160 / 285. Becktold soon joined the other officers at that location and a search was begun, said Garcia. Evidence was collected at the scene that indicated the suspect in the gun shop incident was wearing those same Lugz shoes. While searching the areas adjacent to the gun shop, officers could hear a banging, metal against metal, noise coming from the lumber yard property. It was at that location the suspect was found and taken into custody. Alamosa sheriff’s deputies arrived in Monte Vista and began to work their investigation which culminated later Wednesday night and into early Thursday morning with a search of the suspect’s girlfriend’s home in the 1500 block of Tremont Ave. in Alamosa.

Spangler said the woman was cooperative with authorities and granted consent to search the home where suspected recovered stolen items, including a .22 caliber rifle and jewelry were seized.

Authorities believe up to 13 burglaries may have have been committed by Villanueva-Garcia including 8 in Alamosa County, 2 in the city of Alamosa and the 3 incidents in Monte Vista.

Alamosa Police Chief John Jackson said the arrest solves two of the Alamosa PD’s outstanding burglaries, as well as an attempted burglary and the department continues to work other unsolved burglary cases. “We still need community support and information and calls, “ he said. “We are working hard on this.”

Formal charges have not been filed but could include burglary, theft, trespassing and criminal mischief (damage) in each of the suspected cases by the various law enforcement agencies involved.

The Alamosa city cases include attempted burglary of Highland Cabinets, 2414 Stockton St. and Del Mar Carpet One, 235 Walker Rd.