Bernalillo planning and zoning call police on squatters

Camila Rodriguez, 37, of Bernalillo, was arrested Feb. 28 for breaking and entering at a residence in the 700 block of Avenida Perea in Bernalillo.

Bernalillo’s planning and zoning department called police to clear the house before boarding it up. P&Z told officers when they arrived that there were some people inside the condemned building when they arrived.

One entrance had been pried open. Before officers announced themselves a woman exited the building and was detained. Then, officers announced themselves and a man exited. He was also detained.

The man advised officers there was a third person in the building. Officers searched the house and found Rodriguez hiding in a hole/tunnel in the first-floor bedroom wall. She was told to exit and didn’t comply until officers told her she would be tased.

Rodriguez was charged because she was the first to enter the house. The other woman was charged with possession as she admitted to smoking meth and officers found meth in her bag. The man was issued a trespassing citation.

Rodriguez will face a year and a half in prison if convicted.