BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com
No charges will be filed against Collin Sadler, 69, of Los Alamos as a result of a May 19 incident at the Medical Associates of Northern New Mexico (MANNM) walk-in clinic at Los Alamos Medical Center. Los Alamos Police officers responded to the clinic in reference to a man who was refusing to wear a mask and was causing a disturbance. LAPD Chief Dino Sgambellone said Monday that Sadler has been “trespassed” from the facility.
“Trespassed” means that Sadler was required to sign an LAPD Criminal Trespass Notice Of No Consent to Enter Or Remain. MANNM has withdrawn permission forever for Sadler to be on the property. Future entry will result in trespass charges and failure to comply will result in his arrest, according to the form, which was included in the record.
LAPD records indicate that Sadler “was the same individual who had been making belligerent calls for several days (prior to the May 19 incident) to LAPD threatening to run a roadblock” at NM 4.
When Cpl. Brandon Archuleta arrived at the clinic, his report states that Sadler was inside recording video on his cell phone and refusing to wear a mask as required by the current Public Health Order for all medical facilities. A MANNM employee reported that Sadler “got in her face and was aggressive” when he was asked not to record inside the clinic. Cpl. Archuleta’s report states that Sadler complained to him that the employee had stolen his phone, but that he was using his phone to record with. Sadler also said that the employee had pushed his arm down in an attempt to keep him from recording, the report said.
The employee provided Cpl. Archuleta with a copy of a letter sent to Sadler by certified mail addressing his refusal to wear a face mask in the facility. The employee said the clinic had tried to accommodate Sadler by scheduling appointments via video chat but that Sadler had told them he didn’t have “video conference capability”. The employee asked Archuleta that Sadler be “trespassed” from the building. Sadler signed the trespass form and left the building when asked to do so.
“Collin wanted it to be known that it was illegal to trespass him from a medical facility,” Cpl. Archuleta’s report said.
Sgt. Ben Irving, who also responded to the incident, said in his report that during his phone calls to LAPD, Sadler “advised multiple officers and dispatch that he would run police roadblocks and that we could not close the roads”.
“It is known he interacted with three different dispatchers at various times, a police commander and myself regarding these threats. He was advised by all parties that running roadblocks was a crime and that he would be arrested,” Sgt. Irving said. “During my phone conversations with him he was belligerent and would rarely allow me to explain the roadblock situation to him.”
He said he explained to Sadler that the roadblock on NM 4 was implemented under the direction of New Mexico State Police, which is authorized to close certain highways in emergencies such as the Cerro Pelado Fire.
The Los Alamos Reporter spoke the day after the incident .to a local resident who was present at the clinic during the disturbance. She noted that she and others present were frightened by Sadler’s behavior and fearful that the situation would escalate.