Latest news with #BernalilloCounty
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
New Mexico law enforcement leaders demand stricter juvenile crime laws
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Demanding action from state lawmakers, prosecutors and New Mexico's top law enforcement leaders say the time is now to change the state's juvenile crime laws. Albuquerque has grabbed headlines for problems with juvenile crime, but on Tuesday, police chiefs from all over the state said they're seeing the same problems. Story continues below News: Forest road rule in New Mexico faces potential change Trending: Former Hope Christian School teacher to remain behind bars through trial Weather: Stormier day with drop in temperatures KRQE Investigates: Drones in Blue: Albuquerque police deploying autonomous tech to 911 calls 'If you know there are no consequences for your actions, and you are put into a rehabilitation program, but you reoffend. Juveniles tell us in the back of my deputies' patrol units, 'we're not worried about it, we will be released, and we will get around the system,'' said Sheriff John Allen, Bernalillo County. Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman gathered police chiefs from Farmington to Española to Las Cruces to make a point about minors committing crimes. 'It isn't, unfortunately, until they are charged with murder that they finally face any real consequences, and then it's too late,' said Bregman. While lawmakers walked away from a juvenile crime reform bill in the last 60-day legislative session, police said they're still seeing a trend of kids committing violent crimes. In Las Cruces, teens took part in a mass shooting, killing three people and wounding 15 others. In Española, two 15-year-olds are charged with shooting at people near a homeless shelter. Las Cruces police chief Jeremy Story shared a video of a teen, who has a record, firing an automatic pistol. 'I hope that we can all agree that once we get to this point, once we get to the point where a juvenile has been arrested 16 or 17 times or charged with 40 separate offenses, we failed as a society. We failed that child,' said Chief Story. Leaders held Monday's news conference in part because they want to give lawmakers plenty of time to review their legislative proposals ahead of the next session. They're advocating to extend the time someone sentenced as a juvenile can be held in jail, from 21 to 25 years old, and they want to see a new crime making it illegal to sell or give a gun to a minor. Bregman said that in the past few weeks, they've charged six juveniles with first-degree murder. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
City, county to invest $4 million in smaller substance-abuse service providers
Jul. 16—Some of the money from a massive opioid settlement should soon begin flowing to nonprofits that provide services to people with substance use disorders. The city of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County plan to award $4 million in grants to build capacity in local behavioral health providers, officials said Wednesday. The initiative marks the first time the two local governments have pooled funds accumulated from the opioid settlement to pay for a joint project. Each chipped in $2 million to pay for the grant program for behavioral health providers. "The purpose of this money is really to help the smaller nonprofits to be better positioned to be sustainable," said Dr. Wayne Lindstrom, Bernalillo County deputy manager for behavioral health. New Mexico brought lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and retailers and reached settlements in 2022 and 2023 that were expected to bring up to $1 billion to the state to repair damage caused by the opioid crisis. Albuquerque and Bernalillo County are expected to receive more than $150 million as their portions of the settlements. The city so far has received about $30 million and county about $24 million, with incremental annual funding expected to continue through 2038, officials estimated Wednesday. So far, the two governments have spent a portion of the funding. In April, Albuquerque allocated $4.5 million to three Gateway Center projects — intended to alleviate drug use and homelessness. Bernalillo County has allocated about $1.2 million for a public awareness and education initiative called Keep New Mexico Alive. The joint request for proposals marks the first substantive appropriation for the county and the first joint initiative with the city of Albuquerque. The city and county last week issued a joint request for proposals inviting small-and mid-size nonprofits with an annual operating budgets of $2 million or less to submit proposals. The intent of the initiative is to "grow, train and sustain services here locally to alleviate the impact of the opioid epidemic," said Ellen Braden, Albuquerque's deputy director of special projects and innovations. "The City Council and the County Commission were real clear in their legislation that this pot of money is really intended for capacity building." Nonprofits have until Aug. 7 to submit their proposals. The process of scoring the proposals and selecting the winners could take up to 90 days, Lindstrom said. "We would hope that, by the fourth quarter of the calendar (year), this money will be out the door," Lindstrom said. The money could be used for training staff, building capacity or other uses, he said. For example, nonprofits that serve Medicaid patients but aren't set up to receive reimbursements could use the money to pursue the complex process of becoming Medicaid providers, Lindstrom said. The city has spent substantially more of the settlement money than the county. In May, Mayor Tim Keller signed legislation that allocated $4.5 million from opioid settlement money to fund three Gateway Center projects intended to alleviate drug use and homelessness in Albuquerque. The largest allocation, $2.25 million, was designated for a Medical Sobering Center to provide detoxification services for up to 50 people. That facility is expected to open later this summer. Another $1.4 million was allocated to the First Responder Receiving Area, a facility where police and other first responders can transport individuals in need of drug and mental health services outside regular hours. Another $950,000 was allocated to Gateway Recovery, a city-owned community of 46 tiny homes where individuals recovering from addiction can reside and receive treatment for a year. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bernalillo County properties see increase in value
BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – Some Bernalillo County property owners could be in for sticker shock when they get their tax bills this year. This, as the county assessor catches up on years of uncompleted property assessments. 'On average, we had about a 76% increase in the values of our commercial properties,' says the owner of Alien Sigman Real Estate Group, Lance Sigman. He is one of the many commercial property owners who have seen an increase in the value of their properties, and high values can mean higher taxes. 'There's a trickle-down effect that's not just property taxes, but all these other costs that I've mentioned, they all build up. They all multiply to then impact the small business, which in turn impacts the consumer,' says Sigman. Increases to some taxes and fees in New Mexico go into effect on July 1 These higher property values come as counties in New Mexico kick up efforts to evaluate all properties accurately. 'We're doing a better job than was previously done before,' says Bernalillo County assessor Damian Lara. He says it may seem like a dramatic change, but it's the result of their office following state law to calculate values. 'So we knew that many non-residential, particularly commercial properties had been undervalued for over 10 years,' Lara says. His office, prioritized residential assessments over commercial properties, as they dealt with years of staffing shortages. But now, with the office finally at full staff, Lara says they're catching up. Albuquerque City Councilors approve tax abatements for two redevelopments sites He says of the 20,000 commercial properties they assessed, a little less than half saw an increase in value. But NAIOP New Mexico, which represents commercial real estate owners, says some of those amounts were shocking. 'There's a lot of folks who are deeply concerned and frustrated when they get a letter that says their property has gone up 704%. That is not something that can be absorbed in a single year,' says Rhiannon Samuel, Executive Director of NAIOP New Mexico. Assessor Lara says while property valuation is one factor in determining property taxes, a value increase does not always lead to a tax increase, and there are other factors as well. 'If the state, the county, all of the municipalities, the school board, all of the other taxing authorities, they typically ask for a little bit more money each year than they did last year,' says Lara. For residential properties, there is a cap preventing property taxes from increasing more than 3% per year. Commercial properties do not have any such cap. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Man ‘murdered his parents, sister, and dog' before throwing family in ravine
A young man who allegedly murdered his parents and his sister before throwing their bodies in a ravine will stand trial for murder. Adlai Mestre, 24, was arrested outside the family home in Tijeras, New Mexico, on October 13 last year with a gun and a loaded magazine in his pockets. 'I killed them and was going to bury them,' he told Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office deputies in the footage. He also allegedly shot dead the family dog. Bodycam video showed him lead police to the bodies of his mother Bertha Huerta Conde, 51, dad Raymundo Mestre, 46, and sister Brielle Mestre, 17. The sole survivor was eldest daughter Nancy Mestre, who was not living at home during her brother's alleged rampage. When police went inside the house they found a scene of 'blood transfer patterns consistent with drag marks and mopping/cleaning'. They also found a bloodied hammer and meat tenderizer near the front door, which police alleged the victims were likely also assaulted with. Mestre was interrogated at the police station and while he was left unattended managed to kick through the wall and escape through the hole. He was recaptured moments later after a chase through the halls of the precinct. Mestre was in April ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial by the court and sent to the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute in Las Vegas for treatment. He was reassessed last month and a judge declared him fit to stand trial, leading to his grand jury indictment on murder and other charges. Police were first called to the house by the landlord, who said he rented it to a 'nice family' who often helped him with chores at his ranch next door. When he heard gunshots and none of the family showed up for work, he drove to the front and beeped the horn several times but got no response. Then he called 911. Bodycam footage showed deputies arrive and approach the front door as Mestre came outside claiming, 'My family rushed me... in my room, with a knife.' Police noted his hands were covered in blood and he told them he had a gun, so they handcuffed him and retrieved a Glock 19 pistol from his pocket. 'My family was trying to walk into my room and they were trying to hit my heart and my dad had a knife and my sister had a sledgehammer... And then I killed them,' he told deputies as he was handcuffed. 'But however, I found their bodies and their wounds were healed. Do you want me to show you? That was crazy.' Deputies took Mestre up on that offer and he began to lead them down a dirt road away from the property. 'I shot him in the head, but then they're convulsing, they were biting their arms,' he said. 'My dad rushed me, I hit him, and them my mom was like, you need to die. 'They were biting their arms and there was like hot boiling s*** on the ground. Is that normal?' One deputy asked if he used the gun they found in his pocket and he said yes, he used it on 'my dad, my mom, and my sister'. As he led them closer to the bodies, he pleaded, 'Please don't kill me, officer.' They eventually came across the bodies in a ravine near the property, as shown on redacted bodycam footage released be police. 'Did you see their corpses? They were foaming out of the mouth but are they still convulsing back there? Can you find the bodies?' Mestre asked when they returned.' When told they did, he added: 'Their wounds healed, though. Is that normal? That's not normal. They're like black out the mouth... Did you see that... grabbing his dog?' Deputies searched the house and found blood smeared across the floors and stairs, shell casings, and evidence of alleged attempts to clean up the crime scene. Prosecutors alleged the arrival of the deputies interrupted Mestre's efforts to dispose of the evidence and sanitize the house. Mestre told police during the interrogation that he killed his father in the living room, then shot his mother as she came down the stairs. Where his sister was killed is unclear. During the interrogation he rambled about seismic waves and helping a woman 'pull coins out of her vagina' and getting in a submarine. 'The seismic waves wouldn't stop, my family starts convulsing... just losed (sic) his consciousness,' he eventually said. 'I had to,' he said. 'What did you have to do?' the police interrogator asked. Mestre replied: 'I killed them.' 'They lost consciousness and I don't know what they do. They were driving back, they were like half an hour late, eating bodies,' he continued. 'They were grabbing dogs and I had to shoot the dogs.' Mestre said something 'sounds like Satan' during the interrogation, but it wasn't clear what he was referring to. When asked if he had any mental health issues, he claimed: 'I'm cursed and my family's cursed. Write that down, that my family's all cursed.' Police left him alone in the interrogation room without handcuffs for some time, and he was filmed having conversations with people who were not there.' 'I just tried to kill you,' he said at one point. He later begged for help from God and cried 'Angel, unlock the door!' Mestre was indicted on three counts of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, extreme cruelty to animals, escaping from the custody of an officer and criminal damage to property. A trial date is not set and he is yet to enter a plea. A fundraiser collected tens of thousands of dollars in donations for Nancy Mestre, the sole survivor, and the Carrie Tingley Hospital Foundation created a scholarship fund in Brielle's name.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Yahoo
Man sentenced to 52 years for 2022 rape, kidnapping
Jul. 5—A former Bernalillo County firefighter convicted of sexual assault and other charges was sentenced Thursday to 52 years in prison. A 2nd Judicial District Court jury on June 21 convicted Celso Montano, 49, of kidnapping, three counts of criminal sexual penetration, one count of aggravated battery leading to great bodily harm, and intimidation of a witness via telephone. District Judge Cindy Leos sentenced Montano to the maximum allowed under law. On April 30, 2022, Montano kidnapped and confined a woman with the intent of inflicting sexual harm against her, according to a Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court criminal complaint. Montano sexually abused the woman with a metal object, it said. Montano harassed the victim for two years after and threatened her or offered to give her "anything of value" to keep her from reporting him to law enforcement officers, the complaint said. This is the first time Montano has been convicted of rape, but it was one of several such cases filed against him since the 1990s. Court records show at least one case against Montano was dropped due to prosecutors missing deadlines. Two others were dismissed because the women who accused him died before trial.
