Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
A Tucumcari man briefly jailed on drug- and stolen-property complaints landed back in the county lockup days after his release after witnesses and surveillance video reportedly caught him breaking into several homes.
A criminal complaint filed Thursday in Tucumcari magistrate court accused Donie Lucero, 54, of felony residential burglary, felony possession of burglary tools, misdemeanor larceny and misdemeanor criminal damage to property.
According to the complaint, Lucero broke into a house in the 500 block of West Aber Street in Tucumcari with a claw hammer and stole an internet modem.
A social-media post by the Quay County Sheriff’s Department elaborated on Lucero’s arrest after his Jan. 30 release from the county detention center.
“ ... On February 2nd and 3rd he was seen burglarizing another home two different times,” the post stated. “On February 5, 2019, the Quay County Sheriff’s Office received a call of a burglary in the 500 block of West Aber Street in Tucumcari. After reviewing surveillance video in the home, deputies were able to identify the suspect as Donie Lucero. An arrest warrant was issued for Mr. Lucero and deputies located him this same day and made an arrest.”
Lucero remained in the county jail Monday. Attempts to reach his lawyer, public defender Anna Aragon, for comment were unsuccessful.
Residential burglary is a third-degree felony that can lead up to three years in prison or a $5,000 fine. Possession of burglary tools is a fourth-degree felony that can lead up to 18 months in prison or a $5,000 fine.
According to a Jan. 25 complaint by a sheriff’s deputy, Lucero initially was arrested for misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, felony possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), felony receiving of stolen property (over $500 but not more than $2,500) and felony possession of a firearm or destructive device by a felon.
The arrest followed the execution of a search warrant by several law-enforcement agencies at two homes in the 600 block of West High Street in Tucumcari.
Lucero was released from the jail by court order Jan. 30.
Quay County Sheriff Russell Shafer confirmed some of the recovered items found during the search were stolen from a residence in the 1200 block of South Second Street in early December. The burglary later was described in a local Crime Stoppers alert.
Shafer said officers were investigating whether Lucero was involved with other burglaries in the area.