Police arrest felon for burglarizing home, larceny and more

Erik Mathis, 32, of Albuquerque, was arrested Feb. 26 for criminal damage to property, conspiracy to commit criminal damage to property, aggravated burglary, conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary, making a shooting threat, attempt to commit a felony, bribery of a witness, conspiracy to commit larceny and five counts of larceny on the 300 block of Asbury Road.

Dispatch got a call on Feb. 22 from a man saying he wasn’t home but that he had seen people at his house possibly burglarizing it. He said a gold Infinity was parked at his home and he could see a man taking items to load into the vehicle. He was enroute to the house when he saw this. His wife called a little later saying the same thing.

The man was arriving home when officers arrived and they stopped him from entering the house. Officers set up a perimeter around the house. The front and back doors were open and there was broken glass on the floor. After they searched the place they didn’t find anyone.

Police then talked to the couple. The man said he suspected three people were responsible for the burglary and that he knew one of them. He said his wife was following the gold vehicle at the time. Officers told him to call her and tell her to stop following. She agreed and went home.

At that point the man got a call from the suspect. He asked the suspect why he broke into his house saying it was “F***** up”. Officers listened in on the conversation. The suspect said the man’s wife had confronted him in Albuquerque after he fled the scene. He said if he didn’t tell her to “back off” he would shoot at her. The suspect also said if the man involved police he would “shoot him up.” The man said the suspect was known as “Trusko.”

The victim said he had locked the house and started driving toward Albuquerque when he saw the incident unfold on his door camera.

Officers, knowing the house was now secure and the wife was returning home, entered the house with the man. The double-pane glass door was shattered but nothing else was reported broken in the house. However, when they went into the bedroom, it was in disarray with the bed and dressers disrupted. Through investigation, it was discovered collector Pokémon cards, snowboarding gear, a PS5, five pairs of Nikes, about $4,000 cash and several family heirlooms had been stolen. The couple also reported four loaded firearms and a Mac Book Pro had been stolen.

The victim said he used to buy marijuana from the suspect but had stopped. The two still maintained contact afterward. The victim said he recently got a call from the suspect. The suspect asked for money, saying he needed it to sell an AK-47. The victim bought the AK-47 and told police it was one of the firearms that was stolen.

When the wife arrived home, police talked to her about the incident. She was at work when she saw the incident unfold on camera. She later saw the gold vehicle while driving home. She turned around to follow it and confronted the driver at a Goodwill they pulled into. She told officers she recognized the man as “Trusko” and started yelling at him. She said Trusko said her husband had “burned” him and wouldn’t give anything back. He put some totes in her car and left. She followed him again all the way to Paseo del Norte. She looked into the totes. One was empty and the other had about $3,000 of Roberts DJ equipment.

Trusko called the victim again. The victim said he thinks Trusko was mad that he bought the AK-47 at half price so he burglarized the house. The victim also said Trusko is a gang member.

Police collected DNA and photo evidence as well as surveillance footage. With all that they were able to identify, Trusko was actually Erik Mathis, a convicted felon.

The other suspects in the case had not been identified yet.

If convicted again, Mathis will face at least 30 years in prison.