Police say shoplifter dropped keys

Police said they tracked down and arrested a shoplifting suspect Wednesday after he pulled a knife on a Walmart security guard but dropped his car keys.

Manuel Benavidez, 43, of Santa Cruz and Natasha Romero, 22, of Española allegedly stole items from Walmart, 3251 Cerrillos Road, and were confronted by the security guard, the report says. Benavidez then pulled out a knife, the report says, and threatened the guard with it before fleeing.

However, when he pulled out the knife, Benavidez dropped the keys to his 1989 Toyota Corolla, the report states. Police later found the couple and the guard identified Benavidez as the man with the knife, according to the report.

Benavidez was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, shoplifting and tampering with evidence. Romero was charged with shoplifting and obstructing an officer.

Video helps nab burglary suspect

A 25-year-old man caught on video surveillance breaking into a southeast-side home late last week quickly admitted to the burglary when confronted by Santa Fe County sheriff's investigators Tuesday, a police report says.

After admitting to the thefts, Timothy Lopez then showed officers around his apartment and pointed out numerous items he'd taken from the home, the report says. The loot included two bags of jewelry, headphones, a digital camera, a men's watch, an iPod, a flashlight, an umbrella, a small canister of bronze seashells and a black briefcase. Lopez also said he'd sold some jewelry to Premier Precious Metals, 855 Cerrillos Road, for $1,100, the report says.

The surveillance showed Lopez drive up to the home on East Old Agua Fría Road on Friday, knock on the door and drive away. A few minutes later, cameras caught Lopez inside the home, the report says.

A sheriff's deputy recognized Lopez, who pleaded guilty to five counts of residential burglary in April 2008, according to court records. Lopez answered the door at his home and admitted to the burglary after an investigator told him they had him on video, the report states.

Lopez was charged with burglary and larceny.

Reward offered in El Prado carjacking

A reward of up to $50,000 is offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the carjacker of a mail carrier's vehicle north of Taos on Wednesday.

A man described as in his mid-20s, 5-foot-6-inches tall, 125 pounds and wearing glasses pulled a female contract-route operator from her pickup at a neighborhood box unit at 1518 Paseo del Pueblo Norte in El Prado about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

"The carjacker, we do not know if he was armed. At this point it was a strong-armed robbery, but we don't know if (a gun) would have been produced if he thought necessary," said Amanda McMurrey of the postal inspection office in Fort Worth, Texas. She said the carrier suffered bruises and scrapes from the incident.

The carjacker was last seen driving the 2004 red Ford Ranger pickup with a red camper top with a white stripe west on U.S. 64. The truck was recovered about 6 p.m. Wednesday about 5 miles east of El Prado at the Arroyos del Norte Elementary School in Arroyo Seco on N.M. 150, where a school event was under way, McMurrey said.

Authorities urge anyone with information about the carjacker or the pickup to call Postal Inspector Lori Hinson at 877-876-2455, option 2, or the New Mexico State Police at 575-758-8879.

Work to require water shutoff

The city Water Division plans to shut off water service Tuesday on Calle Calmo off Rodeo Road.

Work is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. as the city works with TLC Plumbing and Utility to insert a tee and a valve in the water transmission main, according to a news release.

The city urges residents not to try to use water during the outage to avoid potential plumbing problems.

Questa native dies of heart attack in Iraq

A Questa native and volunteer with the New Mexico National Guard died Monday of a heart attack while serving in Iraq, the Taos News reported

Specialist Joseph Gallegos, 39, apparently died in his sleep of cardiac arrest, according to his uncle, Donald Gallegos, although exact details have not be released. He was a machine gunner on patrol security while in Iraq, deployed in July after several months training stateside.

He was with the 720th Transportation Company out of Las Vegas, N.M. He recently re-enlisted after a five-year break in service, according to the New Mexico National Guard.

A graduate of Questa High School, Gallegos joined the U.S. Army and spent time in the National Guard before taking a job as a wildland firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service. He was a member of the Questa Volunteer Fire Department and a first responder for the department.

In 2007, he saved a man whose overturned car had burst into flames and earned an award from the Forest Service for his actions, the Taos News reported.