An Aztec woman was arrested after allegedly trying to pay off two witnesses, who were set to testify against her son.
Angela Lucero, 47, was charged with two counts of third-degree felony intimidation of a witness after reportedly offering two crime victims $1,000 each in exchange for them “not cooperating with the investigation,” according to the affidavit for arrest warrant.
Lucero is the mother of Alex Arnold, 23, of Farmington. Arnold is being held in the San Juan County Detention Center and is facing three counts of first-degree felony armed robbery and one count of second-degree felony aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon.
The charges are in connection with a Jan. 17 home invasion in which Arnold, his girlfriend MyKaela Gonzales, 26, of Farmington, and Salvador Sanchez, 29, of Farmington reportedly stole a puppy and left three people injured.
The three allegedly “forcibly entered” a home in the 1100 block of Smith Lane. They reportedly were “armed with pistols and robbed the occupants of multiple items, including a pit bull puppy, a television, a laptop computer, bicycles, and other miscellaneous property,” the affidavit states.
“The suspects repeatedly struck both (the man) and his girlfriend with handguns, causing the man to suffer multiple cuts to his head,” said Shanice Gonzales, Farmington Police spokeswoman.
The man suffered “head injuries, requiring medical treatment at San Juan Regional Medical Center,” Gonzales said.
The three suspects then fled the area in a dark gray Ford F-150 that was later located at a home in the 200 block of Sunset Place, according to the affidavit. This led to a lockdown in the neighborhood, as police searched for the suspects.
Arnold and Gonzales were not apprehended until Jan. 21 when they reportedly fled from police and caused an accident in the area of Pinon Hills Boulevard and La Plata Highway, according to the statement of probable cause for the accident.
Arnold’s adult criminal record began in 2021 with a conviction for unlawful taking of a motor vehicle. He has been in and out of custody on charges of receiving stolen property, larceny, possession of a controlled substance and battery.
His mother reportedly became involved in the case on Jan. 28, when a victim’s advocate went to the home on Smith Lane to advise the victims of their upcoming court date. At that time, Kayla Write disclosed to the advocate that she and the other crime victims were offered $1,000 to not cooperate, the affidavit said.
Farmington Police were notified by the advocate and opened an investigation, in which they discovered recorded jail conversations in which Arnold said that his attorney would tell the victims that “they can go to court and say, ‘I plead the fifth or I don’t remember.’ The conversation also mentioned Alex’s probation violation and the female saying, ‘I will work on that even if I have to take things into my own hands,’” according to the affidavit.
Further investigation led police to a conversation in which Gonzales was going to provide Lucero with money, the affidavit said.
Farmington Police also learned that Tyler Dougherty, the man who had to be hospitalized, was told to go to court and say, “I don’t know these people and I don’t know what happened because I woke up in the ambulance and that’s really what happened.” In exchange for this he reportedly would receive $2,000 to fix his teeth, the affidavit said.
When police interviewed Dougherty, he reportedly said that he “had not been directly bribed,” but that “the streets are talking.” He also stated that items and money he received were “provided out of sympathy,” according to the affidavit.
Police also questioned Write, who reportedly told them that she received money and items from Lucero “out of concern rather than bribery,” the affidavit said.
Lucero was arrested May 11 and released May 12 on her own recognizance. Her preliminary hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. May 20 in Farmington Magistrate Court.