Post by WaTcHeR on Aug 30, 2006 11:39:55 GMT -5
08.30.2006 - A Sheriff's deputy has been placed on paid administrative leave while police officers investigate him on charges of aggravated assault on a household member and negligent use of a deadly weapon.
Sheriff Felix Saavedra said Deputy Lee Armijo, 29, would stay on administrative leave pending the outcome of charges. The charges stem from an incident that occurred in the early morning hours of Aug. 26 when Armijo allegedly threatened his wife, Juanita Armijo, with his service weapon before pointing the gun at himself.
The gun was fired. According to the criminal complaint, the deputy said the gun was fired accidentally. Lee Armijo said he was not worried about the charges.
"I think it was a misunderstanding is what happened. She (Juanita Armijo) supports me 100 percent," he said. "Everything is going well. Everything is alright."
His wife also said she supported her husband.
"I'm standing by my husband 100 percent," Juanita Armijo said. "Hopefully everything turns out (well)."
Police officers responded to the Armijo residence, located on the grounds of Sarracino Middle School, at 1:30 a.m. There, they met with Lee Armijo, who was outside his residence lighting fireworks, the complaint said.
The deputy originally told officers he argued with his wife, but said he never pulled out his gun.
According to the complaint, Juanita Armijo heard a gunshot coming from the bedroom where they were arguing after she left the room to call police. She said her husband came out of the bedroom and asked to talk with dispatch. He then went outside with fireworks.
Juanita Armijo told officers she believed her husband set off the fireworks to cover for the gunshot that was fired.
A shell casing was found in the bathroom and it matched the bullets in the deputy's service weapon.
It was after Lee Armijo was arrested that he told officers he would show them where he had fired the weapon and where the bullet hole was between the bedroom and the bathroom in the carpet.
Juanita Armijo told officers she and her husband had been drinking at a bar prior to their argument.
Lee Armijo did submit to a Breathalyzer test and the results were 0.05 and 0.06, said Socorro Police Chief Lawrence Romero.
"It's unfortunate that it's a law enforcement officer but I don't believe in selective enforcement. Our policy is just do our job (fairly) with everybody," Romero said.
The chief said that all reports have been turned over to the District Attorney.
District Attorney Clint Wellborn said the case will be assigned to a special prosecutor, but has not decided if that prosecutor will come from Albuquerque or somewhere else. He said the reason behind this is because the deputy is a witness in other cases the state is prosecuting and the state cannot have him be a witness in one case and a defendant in another.
Juanita Armijo said she has since changed her statement to police officers to reflect that an officer told her what to say in her statement. She said she did not want to name any officer but wanted her statement to reflect that.
"It just got out of hand," she said of the incident.
Juanita Armijo added that she didn't want people to listen to the rumors they are hearing about what happened.
"People just aren't sensitive to what (other) people are going through. It's tough," she said. "I just want people to respect what we're going through."
The deputy has been cited to appear before Magistrate Jim Naranjo on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
www.dchieftain.com/news/64302-08-30-06.html
Sheriff Felix Saavedra said Deputy Lee Armijo, 29, would stay on administrative leave pending the outcome of charges. The charges stem from an incident that occurred in the early morning hours of Aug. 26 when Armijo allegedly threatened his wife, Juanita Armijo, with his service weapon before pointing the gun at himself.
The gun was fired. According to the criminal complaint, the deputy said the gun was fired accidentally. Lee Armijo said he was not worried about the charges.
"I think it was a misunderstanding is what happened. She (Juanita Armijo) supports me 100 percent," he said. "Everything is going well. Everything is alright."
His wife also said she supported her husband.
"I'm standing by my husband 100 percent," Juanita Armijo said. "Hopefully everything turns out (well)."
Police officers responded to the Armijo residence, located on the grounds of Sarracino Middle School, at 1:30 a.m. There, they met with Lee Armijo, who was outside his residence lighting fireworks, the complaint said.
The deputy originally told officers he argued with his wife, but said he never pulled out his gun.
According to the complaint, Juanita Armijo heard a gunshot coming from the bedroom where they were arguing after she left the room to call police. She said her husband came out of the bedroom and asked to talk with dispatch. He then went outside with fireworks.
Juanita Armijo told officers she believed her husband set off the fireworks to cover for the gunshot that was fired.
A shell casing was found in the bathroom and it matched the bullets in the deputy's service weapon.
It was after Lee Armijo was arrested that he told officers he would show them where he had fired the weapon and where the bullet hole was between the bedroom and the bathroom in the carpet.
Juanita Armijo told officers she and her husband had been drinking at a bar prior to their argument.
Lee Armijo did submit to a Breathalyzer test and the results were 0.05 and 0.06, said Socorro Police Chief Lawrence Romero.
"It's unfortunate that it's a law enforcement officer but I don't believe in selective enforcement. Our policy is just do our job (fairly) with everybody," Romero said.
The chief said that all reports have been turned over to the District Attorney.
District Attorney Clint Wellborn said the case will be assigned to a special prosecutor, but has not decided if that prosecutor will come from Albuquerque or somewhere else. He said the reason behind this is because the deputy is a witness in other cases the state is prosecuting and the state cannot have him be a witness in one case and a defendant in another.
Juanita Armijo said she has since changed her statement to police officers to reflect that an officer told her what to say in her statement. She said she did not want to name any officer but wanted her statement to reflect that.
"It just got out of hand," she said of the incident.
Juanita Armijo added that she didn't want people to listen to the rumors they are hearing about what happened.
"People just aren't sensitive to what (other) people are going through. It's tough," she said. "I just want people to respect what we're going through."
The deputy has been cited to appear before Magistrate Jim Naranjo on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
www.dchieftain.com/news/64302-08-30-06.html