Armed men rob, assault camper
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Incident marks second robbery in area in past month
11/19/2008 - 11/20/08
Three men robbed and assaulted a 24-year-old man Tuesday evening at a popular campground and trailhead on Hyde Park Road, according to a news release.The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office first learned of the incident when a deputy was dispatched to investigate an abandoned vehicle parked at the Big Tesuque Campground, the Sheriff's Department news release says. Later, a tow-truck driver directed the deputy to the 24-year-old, who was walking two miles down the road.
That man, who had been camping at the site, reported an older, white car pulled into the campground about 6:30 p.m. One of three males in the car approached him and asked to borrow a flashlight because he was having car trouble, the release states.
The two other males, one of whom was armed with a shotgun, then approached the camper and ordered him to lie on the ground. The camper did as he was told, and one of the men kicked him and asked for his wallet and phone, the release says.
The camper told the men the items were in his truck. The men then led him to a spot behind the campground's bathrooms, where they ordered him to his knees. The man with the shotgun struck the camper in the back of the head, according to the release.
The men ordered the camper to count to 100, then proceeded to smash his truck windows and puncture all four tires. They also stole his wallet, passport and phone.
The man's credit card was used about 10 p.m. at the Journeys store in the Santa Fe Place mall.
The camper didn't look at his assailants because he was afraid, so no descriptions were available Wednesday, said Santa Fe County Undersheriff Robert Garcia. The men all wore hoodie sweat shirts, Garcia said. Also, the mall store has no video surveillance, he said.
Two teenage boys allegedly robbed a 46-year-old man at the same campground Oct. 28. During that robbery, one of the boys pointed a gun at the man, ordered him to lie on the ground and stole his wallet.
Garcia said investigators are looking into any possible connections with the previous incident, though none had been uncovered as of Wednesday. Anyone with information about the attack can receive up to a $1,000 reward by calling Crime Stoppers at 955-5050, the release says.
Another wilderness assault occurred about 5 p.m. Tuesday, this time on the Dale Ball Trails near the Sierra del Norte housing development off of Hyde Park Road, according to Santa Fe police. In that seemingly unrelated event, a man with short, salt-and-pepper hair threw a rock at a woman holding a 4-month-old baby, said Santa Fe Deputy Police Chief Benjie Montaño.
The woman reported she was walking down the trail when she saw the man walking toward her, Montaño said. When he got closer, the man yelled at the woman and then threw a softball-sized rock at her, which struck her in the forehead. Her head wound began to bleed profusely, Montaño said.
The woman then ran back up the trail to a spot where she'd seen other people, and the man fled, Montaño said. The woman was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center for treatment, he said, adding the woman didn't know her assailant.
Police have a suspect, but he had not been arrested as of Wednesday, Montaño said. He was described as a white male, 5-foot-6, 135 pounds, wearing light-colored shorts, a dark gray sweat shirt and shoes without socks.
Contact Jason Auslander at 986-3076 or :jauslander@sfnewmexican.com.
