A Medanales man is facing six felony charges after he allegedly started his father’s house on fire, stole a fire vehicle and crashed it head-on into a Rio Arriba County deputy on July 16.
Faustin Martinez Jr., 20, was booked into the Rio Arriba County Detention Center. He had a hearing to review the conditions of his release at 11:30 a.m. Friday in Rio Arriba County Magistrate Court.
Deputy Patrick Martinez was called to Corona Road at 4:43 p.m. July 16 to help firefighters with a structure fire, he wrote in his criminal complaint against Faustin Martinez.
“Espanola Central Dispatch advised me, the firefighters believed ammunition was going off in the home as a result of the fire,” Patrick Martinez wrote. “Dispatch also advised firefighters on scene were also requesting law enforcement due to reports of a male fleeing from the house.”
The man who was fleeing was identified as Faustin Martinez Jr., who had an active warrant out of Santa Fe for shoplifting, as well as resisting, evading and obstructing an officer, the deputy wrote. Dispatchers were able to speak with the homeowner, Faustin Martinez Sr. who said he wasn’t home and only his son, Faustin Martinez Jr., should be at the house.
A passerby called dispatch at 5 p.m. to report three cars and an emergency vehicle were on the side of U.S. Highway 84 and there were multiple people fighting and running back and forth in front of the vehicles. Dispatch also said there was someone from Agua Sana yelling on the radio.
Patrick Martinez and Deputy Alfonso Murillo got to the scene and saw a gray Agua Sana Emergency vehicle fleeing at a high rate of speed. He wrote that it nearly crashed head-on into his patrol vehicle. Murillo then announced over the radio that Faustin Martinez Jr. was armed and dangerous and driving the Agua Sana truck. He also said he was going to set up stop sticks at mile marker 205 to try and stop the truck.
“As the pursuit continued southbound, Deputy Andrew Varbel, and Deputy Nick Herrera, joined the pursuit,” Patrick Martinez wrote. “As the vehicle passed the mile marker 205, both driver side tires on the Agua Sana vehicle were impaled causing the tires to deflate, slowing the vehicle in the process.”
However, Faustin Martinez Jr. continued on to mile marker 200, until he saw that traffic was backed up due to construction. That’s when he turned the truck around and began heading north. While turning around, Varbel hit the back driver portion of the truck with his patrol vehicle, but it didn’t stop Faustin Martinez Jr. He continued traveling north, then collided head-on with Sgt. Cedric Patterson’s patrol vehicle. That still didn’t stop Faustin Martinez Jr., who kept driving north, Patrick Martinez wrote.
The truck eventually went off the road and got stuck in the dirt, that’s when Murillo and Varbel got out of their vehicles and gave commands to Faustin Martinez Jr. to get on the ground. He was taken into custody and put in the back of Patrick Martinez’s patrol vehicle, the criminal complaint said.
Faustin Martinez Jr. was read the Miranda Warning but pleaded the “Fifth or words to that effect,” the complaint said. He was then transported to the Española Hospital, as deputies investigated the incident.
Vehicle taken
Deputies found the firefighter, Joey Montoya, whose vehicle was taken. He said he was on his way to the structure fire when he saw a blue vehicle on the side of Highway 84, as well as several men who were surrounding one man who was lying on the ground.
“Joey explained he turned around to stop traffic and check on the male,” Patrick Martinez wrote. “The male he observed laying on the ground was Faustin Jr.”
Montoya said he commanded Faustin Martinez Jr. to stay down and wait for law enforcement, but as he was sitting down, another vehicle pulled up with Faustin Martinez Sr. inside.
“Joey stated he heard Faustin Jr. tell Faustin Sr. ‘I knew I should’ve killed you last night,’ as well as (expletive) your house,’” Patrick Martinez wrote. “Joey also explained Faustin Jr. picked up a rock and threw it towards Joey and Faustin Sr. Joey stated he observed Faustin Sr. pull out a pistol and point it wards Faustin Jr. Though all other witnesses on scene denied a firearm being involved and no firearm was observed in plain view of Faustin Sr.’s pickup truck.”
Faustin Martinez Jr. then ran around Montoya’s command unit and got into the driver’s seat. Montoya jumped into the passenger seat and tried to turn off the vehicle using the push-start button, the criminal complaint said.
Montoya said he was kneeling on the passenger front seat and the door was open. He jumped from the vehicle and rolled two or three times. When he looked up, Faustin Martinez Jr. was headed toward a RASO patrol vehicle, the complaint said.
The fire
A neighbor, Fidel Serrano, first saw the house on fire and tried to put it out with a fire extinguisher. The flames quickly took over the house, Patrick Martinez wrote. Serrano then called Faustin Martinez Sr. to let him know his house was on fire. He told the deputy that he saw a person fleeing from the back of the property.
When Patrick Martinez returned to the scene of the fire, he spoke with Faustin Martinez Sr. He asked what happened and the elder Martinez said “he burned my home.” When asked how he knew it was his son that burned the house, Faustin Martinez Sr. said, “That’s what he said,” according to the criminal complaint.
Faustin Martinez Sr. said no one else was home other than his son. He said a neighbor had alerted him to the house fire. He told the deputy that he found Faustin Martinez Jr. on the highway and confronted him, asking why he burned the house. The two men got into an aggressive argument and Faustin Martinez. Jr. allegedly threw a rock at his father but didn’t hit him.
“Faustin Sr. explained the fire fighter arrived and tried to defuse the situation, but Faustin Jr. jumped into the Agua Santa vehicle and fled,” Patrick Martinez wrote. “Faustin Sr. advised me Faustin Jr. stated, ‘I burned your house, you killed my mom.’”
Faustin Martinez Sr. told Patrick Martinez that his son may have become upset over marijuana. He also said multiple vehicles were destroyed in the fire.
Aftermath
Rio Arriba County Sheriff Lorenzo Aguilar said none of his deputies were injured in the incident, nor were Faustin Martinez Jr. or Montoya hurt.
Aguilar said deputies have been to the Martinez house for service calls regarding the men several times.
“The deputies did a great job in finding him (Faustin Martinez Jr.) and taking him into custody and thankfully no on was injured in the process,” he said.
Aguilar said the Command 1 vehicle did sustain significant damage and so did one of his patrol vehicles.
“Fortunately no one was injured and the suspect was arrested,” Aguilar said.