Three men arrested for tow yard break-in

New Mexico State Police arrested 32-year-old Alan T. Garcia, 18-year-old Aric Silva and 36-year-old Joseph Williams on Nov. 19. All three men have been charged with felony possession of burglary tools, and misdemeanor criminal trespass.

Just before 3 a.m. Nov. 19, NMSP responded to reports of suspicious activity at the Highlands Wrecker Services tow yard on Seventh Street.

According to a probable cause statement filed in San Miguel Magistrate Court, as an officer investigated, he located Garcia hiding under a tow truck inside the fenced property.

Garcia told police he was homeless and that he’d entered the fenced property to find a place to sleep, but when police searched the duffel bag and backpack Garcia was carrying, officers located bolt cutters, a flashlight, two car stereo amplifiers and a battery charger for Dewalt tools.

Garcia admitted another man was in the tow yard with him, and the officer located Silva inside an SUV inside the tow yard.

Silva also told the officer he was homeless and said that he was looking for loose change and a place to sleep. Silva had a black Nike Air Jordan backpack with him.

Inside, police located a pink wallet and two Sam’s Club cards containing women’s names and photos. According to police, Silva then admitted he’d been searching for things to take from cars.

An officer continued searching the property, and later located Williams inside an RV within the fenced tow yard.

Williams also said he was homeless and that he was looking for a place to sleep. He denied knowing Garcia or Silva, but both men told the officer they knew Williams.

According to police, the tow yard is fenced on all sides and secured by two gates that were padlocked.

All three men were arrested and booked into the San Miguel County Detention Center.

At a Nov. 19 hearing, Judge Christian Montaño set bond for Garcia at $8,000, citing a high likelihood that he would commit other crimes if released. Montaño set bond for Williams at $5,000, and bond for Silva was also set at $5,000.

However, at the time of his arrest, Silva had an active District Court arrest warrant with a no-bond hold.

During a Nov. 21 hearing, Judge Melanie Rivera signed an order changing Garcia’s conditions of release to an unsecured bond of $8,000. Garcia was released from SMCDC later that day.

Judge Rivera also changed Williams’ bond to an unsecured bond of $5,000, and Williams was released from SMCDC.

However, during a review hearing, Judge Rivera left Silva’s bond unchanged, and if he were to post bond, Silva would still be held on the District Court warrant. As of this writing, Silva remained in custody at SMCDC.

All three men are scheduled to appear in Magistrate Court Dec. 3 for preliminary hearings.

Garcia and Silva are scheduled to appear before Judge Rivera, and Williams is scheduled to appear before Judge Montaño.