Portales man accused of breaking into city drop box

A confidential informant, a pair of “multi-colored shoes” and an apparent jailhouse confession have led to charges against a Portales man accused of breaking into a city of Portales drop box.

Adolfo Madrid, 29, faces charges of larceny over $20,000 and tampering with evidence after he was linked to cash and checks taken from the drop box. The checks included one for more than $49,000 from Eastern New Mexico University to pay a water bill, records show.

Portales City Manager Sarah Austin said no residential billing confusion arose because of the drop-box break-in, because the break-in was discovered shortly after it occurred, and the city relayed information about the situation to residential customers.

Madrid was already in jail when charged with the larceny. He is also facing charges of car theft, shoplifting and possession of burglary tools from a previously filed case against him.

The drop-box burglary was reported to police on June 20, according to an affidavit of arrest warrant signed by Portales Detective Jarvis Hall.

According to the arrest affidavit:

• Video from several surveillance cameras showed a man wearing “multi-colored shoes” in the vicinity of the drop box just before 6 a.m. on June 19 on the evening before the break-in took place.

• Hall learned on July 12 that a confidential informant told a sheriff’s deputy that Madrid had committed the burglary and turned over a blue envelope containing documents that included convenience center and water bill checks, including the $49,0099 check from ENMU.

• The informant also showed the sheriff’s deputy pictures of Madrid had apparently posted on a Facebook page of himself and mail he had taken from the drop box.

• Hall later learned that Madrid was already incarcerated in the Roosevelt County Detention Center as of July 7, and that when he was arrested, he was wearing multi-colored shoes that matched those seen on the subject in the videos. The shoes were also in the jail’s custody.

• Hall then arranged to interview Madrid at the jail. In that interview, Madrid confessed to the break in and the theft of checks and cash, said to be $25,000 or more. He told Hall that he had committed the theft for a girlfriend.

• Hall then obtained a search warrant, which was executed on July 17, and police seized the shoes and the blue envelope.

• Based on facts presented in the affidavit, Hall asked for a new arrest warrant for Madrid on Tuesday.

Madrid made a first appearance on the charges in Roosevelt County Magistrate Court on Thursday.

Brian Stover, a deputy district attorney for the Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s office, said on Friday he was “very pleased” with the thoroughness of the Portales police investigation.

Attempts to reach Roderick Juarez, a public defender in Madrid’s previous case, to ask whether he is representing Madrid in the drop-box break-in case and any comments, were unsuccessful.

As of Friday, counsel had not been appointed for Madrid.

A preliminary exam for Madrid is scheduled for 9 a.m. Aug. 23 in the magistrate court before Judge Christopher Mitchell.