A Farmington man faces five felony charges for his alleged involvement in a Jan. 17 home invasion where a puppy was stolen.
Salvador Michael Sanchez, 29, was charged with a second-degree felony count of aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon, three second-degree felony counts of armed robbery and a third-degree felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
The charges stem from a home invasion in the 1100 block of Smith Lane, which led to a shelter-in-place alert for residents in the Sunset Heights neighborhood near Farmington High School, according to Shanice Gonzales, police spokeswoman.
Police blocked the area between Lynwood Drive and 20th Street beginning at 6 p.m. Jan. 17 and sent a shelter-in-place notification citywide, according to the department’s social media.
Officers cleared the scene at 10:20 after arresting Sanchez.
The home invasion was reported by a man at 2:11 p.m. Jan. 17, and Farmington police responded.
A surveillance video assisted police in identifying the suspects as Sanchez, Alex Arnold, 23, of Farmington, and MyKaela Gonzales, 26, of Farmington, according to the affidavit for arrest warrant.
They allegedly “forcibly entered the residence while armed with pistols and robbed the occupants of multiple items, including a pit bull puppy, a television, a laptop computer, bicycles, and other miscellaneous property,” the affidavit states.
“The suspects repeatedly struck both (the man) and his girlfriend with handguns, causing the man to suffer multiple cuts to his head,” Shanice Gonzales said, adding the man suffered “head injuries, requiring medical treatment at San Juan Regional Medical Center.”
The suspects then fled the area in a dark gray Ford F-150 that was later located at a home in the 200 block of Sunset Place, according to the affidavit.
Farmington police SWAT responded to the home, belonging to Arnold’s sister Mariah Arnold. She reportedly told police that her brother and Gonzales had been at the home and “left driving a silver, early-2000s Jeep,” the affidavit states.
Farmington SWAT also went to the home of Sanchez, which was also in the 200 block of Sunset Place. He was taken into custody, and “the puppy was recovered and is safe,” Shanice Gonzales said.
Sanchez reportedly “did not want to give a statement,” so a search warrant was obtained, the affidavit states.
In the home, police found a 12-gauge shotgun and a 9 mm pistol, as well as numerous types of ammunition. They also located a wallet reportedly belonging to one of the victims, the affidavit states.
“The investigation is ongoing, and two additional suspects have not yet been located,” Shanice Gonzales said.
Sanchez was scheduled to appear Tuesday in Farmington Magistrate Court. However, the San Juan County District Attorney’s Office filed a motion for a pretrial detention hold, stating there is “convincing evidence that no release conditions will reasonably protect the safety of any other person or the community.”
The motion listed Sanchez’s prior arrests on aggravated battery and residential burglary and a conviction for residential burglary.
The case was transferred to 11th Judicial District Judge Curtis Gurley.
