SUN Staff Report
Velarde Fire Chief Eddie Velarde appeared with his attorney Diego Zamora in Rio Arriba County Magistrate Court Monday morning. Velarde was arraigned by Judge Alex Naranjo on two petty misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and concealing his identity, and one misdemeanor charge of resisting or obstructing an officer.
Velarde is accused of panicking at a March 29 brush fire, then refusing to leave when Sheriff’s Lt. Adam Archuleta told him to do so. Later, Archuleta accused Velarde of giving him false information when he asked for Velarde’s Social Security number and birth date.
Naranjo released Velarde on his own recognizance while he awaits a jury trial on the charges. Zamora called the charges “ridiculous.”