Fugitive wanted by law enforcement after cutting off ankle bracelet
Bernalillo County’s district attorney is voicing his frustration after a man his office tried to hold in jail was released and is now on the run.
Bernalillo County’s district attorney is voicing his frustration after a man his office tried to hold in jail was released and is now on the run.
Bernalillo County’s district attorney is voicing his frustration after a man his office tried to hold in jail was released and is now on the run.
Bernalillo County’s district attorney is voicing his frustration after a man his office tried to hold in jail was released and is now on the run.
District Attorney Sam Bregman said, “I’m not pointing my finger at anybody except this fugitive. We’ve got dangerous people who repeat their dangerous conduct time and time again.”
Joe Anderson, a man who has as many as six felony charges, is now wanted by law enforcement.
Anderson was arrested and charged with the murder of Raymond Aviles back in December. The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office filed to hold him in jail until his trial, saying he was a repeat violent offender.
Attorney General Raul Torrez was the district attorney when Anderson was initially arrested.
Torrez said, “We moved for his detention when I was still the district attorney. He was released.”
On Monday, the New Mexico Supreme Court overruled the District Court’s decision to release Anderson, saying he should be detained until his trial.
On Tuesday at around 2 p.m., the DA’s office was notified that he had cut off his ankle bracelet.
Why was Anderson released from jail in the first place? His public safety assessment, or “Arnold tool,” deemed that it was ok for him to be released under certain conditions, including house arrest.
“It’s yet another example of why this system really needs to be carefully examined, and we need to come up with some common sense fixes,” Torrez said.
Now, a bench warrant has been issued for Anderson’s arrest, and his whereabouts are unknown.
“I brought this individual to the attention of the legislature just last week as an example of someone who shouldn’t have been released. Today, he cut off his ankle bracelet. I don’t need to say anything more than that,” Bregman said.
It’s also worth noting that Anderson had a violent criminal activity flag on his public safety assessment and was still released.
This is the second time in the last year that New Mexico Supreme Court has overturned the District Court’s decision to release someone until their trial.