Albuquerque man winds up in Roosevelt jail

PORTALES — A man who allegedly stole his father’s car in Albuquerque, then threatened drivers and shot at vehicles in Guadalupe County ended up Wednesday in the Roosevelt County Jail in Portales.

New Mexico State Police arrested the man, Adam Romanek, 26, of Albuquerque, Wednesday morning after he was apprehended on foot after abandoning the apparently stolen car along Interstate 40 near Santa Rosa.

Romanek has been charged with four felonies including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, possession of a stolen vehicle, shooting at or from a motor vehicle, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

He was also charged with two misdemeanors, including resisting, evading or obstructing a police officer and negligent use of a deadly weapon.

Romanek’s transfer to a jail facility outside of Guadalupe County is “not that uncommon” a Guadalupe Sheriff’s department employee said. “We have contracts with several jails.”

A state police news release said Romanek stole his father’s 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt on Tuesday night and drove it to a rest stop east of Santa Rosa, where he apparently showed a firearm as he tried, apparently unsuccessfully, to get parked motorists to leave their vehicles. He then drove through Santa Rosa and onto U.S. Route 84, where he stopped in front of a residence and shot at vehicles. At least one vehicle was damaged.

Police then found Romanek on I-40 east of Santa Rosa. Romanek fled on foot but was captured with assistance from the state police’s Tactical Team and the Albuquerque Police Air Unit, according to the release.