Duo charged for burglarizing homes in Bernalillo and RR

BERNALILLO — Two people were charged Dec. 20 for burglary and other egregious charges at a residence in Bernalillo.

Dante Mitchell, 36, of Albuquerque, was arrested for aggravated fleeing law enforcement, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, concealing identity, leaving the scene of an accident, driving while license revoked, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and aggravated battery. Keianna Aguilar, 23, of Los Alamos, was summoned for aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence and concealing identity. Another male suspect was not caught.

According to a criminal complaint filed by the Sandoval County Sheriff's Office, a deputy was stationed at State Road 313 and Highway 550 when they were notified by dispatch of a burglary that took place on Edith Road involving two men who were armed with handguns.

The two men had already left the scene in separate vehicles, according to the complaint. 

When the deputy spotted both on 313, one driver saw him and immediately turned west on Old Highway 44. The deputy followed and attempted a stop, but the driver immediately accelerated and fled.

The other driver, however, came to a stop in a dirt clearing on Santa Ana Road just north of Highway 550. The deputy got out and held the man at gunpoint while he waited for backup.

According to the complaint, the driver began to yell at the deputy, asking why they were pointing a gun at him. The deputy instructed the driver to turn his vehicle off and throw the car keys out the window. When the driver opened his car door and started to exit the vehicle, the deputy instructed the driver to stay in the car.

It states the driver became highly agitated and stated that he was going to film the deputy. The deputy informed the driver that he could film but he was to remain in the car and to turn the car off and wait until backup arrived.

The driver once again refused to turn the car off and drove to exit the dirt lot. The driver made a U-turn and drove past the deputy on Santa Ana toward U.S. 550. While pursuing the driver, the man headed westbound on the highway. The complaint states he was in the far-left lane, then cut across all lanes of travel into the far-right lane and ran three red lights as he continued west toward NM 528.

The deputy stopped pursuing after the driver ran a red light after getting off the highway at Safelight Boulevard, causing the deputy to lose sight of him. A man driving a Lexus sedan drove up to the deputy, who was talking with another deputy, and informed him that his vehicle had been struck by another identified as the suspect's vehicle.

Shortly after, another deputy stated they were pursuing the same vehicle on Paseo Del Volcan near Sandoval County Regional Medical Center. A sergeant ordered the deputies to terminate the pursuit.

Dispatch informed deputies that Rio Rancho Police had found the vehicle abandoned at Speedway gas station at Northern and Unser boulevards. A driver and female passenger were seen running from the vehicle while removing items of clothing.

Both ran toward a housing complex at the bottom of the hill, then broke into a residence located in the 2100 block of Sagecrest Loop. After breaking into the residence, the male and female then continued to remove the remainder of their clothing and took items of clothing inside the house and put them on in an attempt to disguise themselves from law enforcement. They also hid a firearm in a closet in the room they were in.

The two were arrested there.

The man, identified as Mitchell, told police he had gone to the residence at Edith in order to retrieve items he said belonged to him. While at the house, he stated, he and the other male had beaten the homeowner and then left. He refused to identify himself to police when asked. 

The woman, identified as Aguilar, also refused to identify herself.

Police also found drugs on Mitchell and that his license wasn't valid.

If convicted, Mitchell could face up to 18 years and Aguilar could face a little more than 10 years in prison.