Officer assistance calls off charts

CENTER - In an effort to keep the public informed during the novel Corona virus crisis, Center Police Chief Dale Meek issued a crime report last week detailing criminal activity in Center over the past two years as compared to the past few months.
The reports show a marked increase in crimes in the town, particularly sexual assaults and thefts.
Because the town hall meetings were postponed until April, Meek provided criminal statistics for the past three years highlighting this year’s incidents, including information on felonious arrests made in March and departmental current events. In April, he will be providing a month-by-month breakdown of calls for service in a quarterly report.
Calls for service were up overall over the past two years with 45 calls for citizen assist received already this year compared to 54 for all of 2019; 36 person/vehicle/incident calls in the past three months with only 15 for the entire year in 2019; 52 civil issue/standbys just this year versus seven last year and 16 in 2018; 52 information reports with only 22 reports for all of 2019; 34 disturbance reports versus zero in the two years prior and 96 vehicle stops compared to 55 in 2019.
All in all, just in the past three months, there have been 535 calls for service where only 326 calls were received for the whole of 2019 and 400 in 2018.
There have been five sexual assaults over the past three months, up from one reported in 2019 and zero in 2018. Thefts in the town have more than doubled in the first three months of 2020 and burglaries have nearly doubled. Harassment and criminal mischief reports also have doubled. Just this year, prowler reports have quadrupled. Two hit and runs were reported over the past three months versus three in 2019 and two in 2018.

Feb.-March incidents of note
• Burglary on Crescent; arrest made on Miles Street. Suspect: Josanna Gonzales
• Multiple warrants; arrest made on Miles Street. Suspect: Victor Jaramillo
• Sex assault on a nine-year-old; arrest made on Miles Street. Suspect: Enrique Lopez-Perez
• Two stolen vehicles; arrest made in Alamosa. The vehicles were stolen from a Miles Street address. Suspect: Samuel Aguilar
• Drugs, warrant, resisting apprehension; arrest made in the 300 block of Worth Street. Suspect: Pedro Portillo. The suspect had heroin, cocaine and a realistic looking toy gun. He ran from officers. Portillo was apprehended at M&M Liquor Store.
• On March 19, K&J grocery store reported two male subjects that were acting unusual. The males came in, looked down every aisle, then proceeded to leave. One subject bought a pack of cigarettes, something easy to find that does not require walking through the entire store. K&J employees advised that the two subjects made them feel uncomfortable. A check of video surveillance confirmed the suspicious actions and one of the subjects was identified. That subject is currently out on parole for aggravated robbery and is a resident of Alamosa.
“These two subjects are not wanted for any criminal acts at this time, but please be aware of their presence in our community,” Meek advised.
The vehicle is a silver/light gray Ford Fusion. The vehicle has a spoiler, clear taillights, five spoke wheels, tinted window and a Colorado temporary tag on the back with an unknown dealer plate on the front. If someone sees the vehicle they are driving, please let Center Police know where the vehicle was observed and at what time, but do not follow the vehicle.
• Center Police received a complaint of trespassing March 20. The person states she was cutting through a yard on Broadway to get to the alley. She was advised to not walk through anyone’s yard without permission. Citizens are asked to be aware of unwanted persons on their property and notify Center Police.
• A police officer working the nightshift March 26 was sent to Miles Street in reference to a male subject breaking windows at his mother’s residence around 10:30 p.m. Upon arrival, the officer found the subject barricaded in the attic above the garage. The son had been released from jail for stealing his mother’s vehicle and went to her house. He broke two large windows to the residence, entered the house and the mother ran out the back door to the police office at town hall.
Two additional officers were called out from home to assist and after not being able to get the suspect to respond or comply with commands/orders, he was forcibly removed from the attic and placed under arrest. The incident lasted until about 3 a.m. There were no injuries from the incident though the suspect was transported to the hospital for observation from being Tased (standard operating procedure).

Training and novel Corona restrictions
During the month of March, Meek’s department has applied for $75,000 in grants for equipment, training costs and a remodel for the police department portion of town hall to make the area conducive for training (removing a wall, adding a projector, moveable tables and desks).
Center police cadets in training were sent home from the academy due to Coronavirus concerns, Meek reported. “They are currently involved in online learning via Skype and their practicals such as shooting, driving, defensive tactics and First Aid will be completed once the academy reopens,” he commented.