ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Albuquerque police have observed more incidents of shoplifters displaying weapons when confronted. Several examples:
♦ In October 2020, an Albuquerque couple were charged in connection with a series of robberies at Coronado and Winrock malls. They allegedly stole high-value items at Nordstrom Rack, Dick’s Sporting Goods, JC Penney and Macy’s in a span of two weeks, according to a criminal complaint. When confronted, the male would brandish a black handgun. Davonne Warner and Markie Ann Zubia, both 21, were charged in November on multiple charges of armed robbery in connection with the incidents.
♦ On Feb. 23 an Albuquerque couple switched price tags at the self-checkout and were confronted by employees at the Walmart at Coors and Rio Bravo SW, according to a Metropolitan Court criminal complaint. Police allege Nathan Tapia, 29, displayed a firearm and said “I’m going to start blasting people,” before the couple fled in a Jeep. On April 17 police r
Mary Rousseau (MDC)
Nathan Tapia (MDC)ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. A judge decided to detain a couple accused of shoplifting and threatening store employees with a gun in separate incidents around Albuquerque this year.
Mary Rousseau, 39, and Nathan Tapia, 29, are each charged with two counts of armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at or from a motor vehicle and conspiracy charges in two separate incidents in February and April. Rousseau is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors wrote in a pretrial detention motion that the couple “escalated a simple theft to a violent, armed confrontation” and Rousseau who allegedly fired at employees in one instance “greatly increased the potential for death or great bodily harm to occur.”
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WHAT’S WITH SUNPORT’S UNUSABLE LANES AND SIGNALS? Doug Stack of Belen emails, “I am wondering why the Sunport Road now has new lanes that can’t be used and the flashing traffic lights? Why was this money spent? Will the traffic lights function even? Why was the turnaround put in and blocked off at the end of Sunport?”
Because work on the project is in its very early stages.
Amor Solano of Bernalillo County’s Operations and Maintenance Department says, “We are in the process of building an off-ramp to connect to Broadway.”
And engineering manager Rodrigo L. Eichwald goes further, explaining “it was done as the first phase of the Sunport Boulevard Extension Project. Those are the improvements that are needed for when Sunport is extended down to Broadway. The project should be let out for bids in the next month, and construction should follow a couple of months after that.”