Man sought after thousands in property recovered
Two people face felony child abuse charges and one has been charged for stealing an estimated $10,000 worth of electronics and tools during an October burglary, according to court records.
Michael Archuleta, 39, of Las Vegas, has been charged with receiving stolen property and drug possession charges following a search of the man’s home.
Additionally, Archuleta and his wife, Caitlyn E. Archuleta, 40, have been charged with felony child abuse following an investigation by the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office and the Children, Youth and Families Department.
San Miguel County Sheriff Chris Lopez told the Optic that Michael Archuleta is currently the only suspect in a burglary investigation that began in October, but said the case is still being investigated.
Sheriff’s deputies were called to Highlands Wrecker Service on Oct. 16 after someone broke into the business and stole several items, including tools, two laptop computers, keys to vehicles, blank keys, and three digital key programing machines that are intended to be used by locksmiths to make replacement keys and keyless entry remotes for vehicles.
A nearly two-month investigation led sheriff’s investigators to the home of Michael Archuleta.
“We got information that there was possibly stolen items in that residence,” Sheriff Lopez said. “We were able to obtain enough information to obtain a search warrant.”
That warrant was for Archuleta’s home in the 2800 block of Louden Circle. Deputies executed the warrant Dec. 9, knocking on the door several times with no answer. A key provided by the Las Vegas Housing Department was used to gain entry, and once inside, Michael Archuleta, Caitlyn Archuleta and the couple’s 10-year-old son were found and detained.
The condition of the residence was “very dirty and unsanitary,” according to a probable cause statement filed in San Miguel Magistrate Court. Deputies found garbage bags scattered throughout the living room, and the room was so cluttered there was only a small path through the room for deputies to walk.
In the child’s bedroom, deputies found the floors covered in animal feces and stained with urine and other “unknown substances.” The child had apparently been sleeping on a mattress with no sheets that sat on the dirty floor without a frame.
In the master bedroom, deputies located drug paraphernalia and methamphetamine. Further searching revealed more electronics, multiple bicycles and other items believed to be stolen. In the living room, deputies located some of the electronics taken from Highlands Wrecker. Deputies also located a rifle in the bedroom, which was in reach of the child.
Police recovered all three key programmers along with documentation for using them, 3.4 grams of methamphetamine, prescription drugs, a small amount of suboxone and slightly more than an ounce of marijuana, along with several smoking pipes, a marijuana grinder and a scale.
Sheriff Lopez said many of the items recovered are currently being held by prosecutors as evidence in the case, but he hopes to return the items to their owners soon.
“We have to get permission from the DA’s office, but we want to get it back to the owners as soon as possible,” Sheriff Lopez said. “We’ve been really trying to target the property crimes, because we’ve seen an uptick in property crimes over the last few months. So we’ve really been working on that.”
Charges added after release
CYFD visited the home Dec. 10, and the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office was called for assistance because no one would answer the door. A deputy knocked on a bedroom window and got the attention of Michael Archuleta, who met the deputy and CYFD representative at the front door.
Michael Archuleta said that Caitlyn and their son had gone to Albuquerque; however, another deputy witnessed Caitlyn Archuleta and her 10-year-old son climbing out a window. Michael and Caitlyn were arrested, each charged with one count of felony child abuse.
Michael Archuleta and Caitlyn Archuleta were booked into the San Miguel County Detention Center. The child was released to the care of a relative.
During a Dec. 11 hearing, Judge Melanie Rivera set bond for Caitlyn Archuleta at $10,000 unsecured, and ordered her to remain at home between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
At a Dec. 11 hearing, Judge Rivera set bond for Michael Archuleta at $5,000, at 10 percent cash. He too was ordered to remain at home between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Both Michael Archuleta and Caitlyn Archuleta were released from SMCDC Dec. 11. However, Michael Archuleta has since been charged with receiving stolen property, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance, all felonies. He has also been charged with one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
The charges were not filed in Magistrate Court until Monday, days after Michael Archuleta was released from SMCDC. A warrant has been issued for his arrest, but he was not in custody as of this writing.
Michael Archuleta also has an active warrant from May 2019 when he failed to appear in Bernalillo Metropolitan Court for a traffic case where he’s accused of driving without insurance and with a suspended license.
A preliminary hearing in the child abuse case against Michael Archuleta is scheduled for Dec. 24 in Magistrate Court.
Caitlyn Archuleta is scheduled to appear in Magistrate Court Jan. 5, 2021.
