A man arrested in a pre-Española Fiesta warrant sweep told officers that a Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s lieutenant tipped him off that he was going to be arrested.
Julian Rendon, 36, was being picked up the morning of July 6 on a warrant out of Española Municipal Court for driving under the influence, Sheriff’s Det. Adam Archuleta said. When Archuleta and Española Police officers also working the operation arrived at Rendon’s residence at Cook’s Mobile Home Park, Rendon had already packed his clothes and medications in preparation for going to jail, Archuleta said.
“Julian said that (Lt.) Manuel Valdez is his good friend and he told him we were coming for him,” Archuleta said. “He was ready.”
Archuleta called dispatch around 9 a.m., after the arrest, and asked that it be noted in dispatch logs that Manuel Valdez called Rendon to warn him Sheriff’s deputies were looking for him, according to an internal email from 911 dispatcher Veronica Quintana to Española/Rio Arriba County 911 Center Director Marti Griego, .
“I was very upset about the whole deal,” Archuleta said Tuesday. “There’s a big officer safety issue there,”
Valdez’s boss, Sheriff Joe Mascareñas, said Tuesday he had to look into the incident further to determine whether it was true, but had verified through dispatch logs that Archuleta notified dispatch about it. Mascareñas said such conduct would be against the Department’s policy. Mascareñas and Archuleta said they didn’t believe Valdez and Rendon were related, and were not sure how they knew each other.
Archuleta said he believed Mascareñas questioned Valdez, and Valdez denied making the call.
Valdez did not return a call for comment for this story.
SUN Staff Report
The son of Los Cariños Charter School Chancellor Vernon Jaramillo is receiving treatment at St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe for a broken back and other injuries he suffered when hit by an alleged drunk driver early the morning of July 11.
Mevlyn J. Jaramillo, 37, of La Madera, was driving north just around 1 a.m. on State Road 14 outside Santa Fe when Michael T. Atencio, 28, of Santa Fe, drove into Jaramillo’s car, sending it to a spin, according to a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department report. Jaramillo, who has worked as a guard and then sergeant the past 17 years at the Santa Fe State Penitentiary, was hospitalized for a spinal fracture, concussion and other injuries, Freddie Trujillo, who is Mevlyn Jaramillo’s step-brother, said.
Deputies found Atencio 15 minutes later pushing his red Audi sedan near the intersection of Airport Road and South Meadow Road in Santa Fe, according to the report.
After Atencio failed field sobriety tests, he was sent to St. Vincent’s Hospital for a blood alcohol test and later booked at Santa Fe County Jail, the report states.
Atencio faces charges in Santa Fe Magistrate Court of great bodily damage by vehicle, reckless driving, failure to give information and render aid, and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, according to an online court records database. Atencio was being held in Santa Fe County Jail on a $25,000 bond as of Tuesday evening, jail booking staff confirmed.
Sheriff’s Maj. Ron Madrid said his department is still waiting for blood alcohol results.
Atencio did not enter a plea at his July 13 arraignment, the database states.
Atencio faced charges for a separate incident in 2005, according to the database.
Prosecutors in that case dismissed careless driving and possession of drug paraphernelia charges. Atencio pleaded no contest to charges of DWI and driving with an open alcohol container, the database states. Santa Fe Magistrate Court issued a bench warrant for Atencio in August 2007 in connection to that first incident after he failed meet show up to driving school.