BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

A call to Los Alamos Police Department dispatch Friday, August 18 resulted in the arrest of Santos Esparza, 52, of Espanola and Diana Pacheco, 37, of Hernandez on charges of residential burglary of a home on Canyon Road. Esparza was also charged with possession of a controlled substance, i.e. a methamphetamine and fentanyl pill, and possession of contraband at the Los Alamos Detention Center.

According to Los Alamos Magistrate Court documents, Sgt. Brent Hudspeth was dispatched to the home at around 6:45 p.m. in reference to a burglary in progress.

Hudspeth made contact with Esparza and Pacheco who were actively loading items into a vehicle in front of the house. When Hudspeth asked them what was occurring, Esparza said he was told by a friend that he could come to the residence “to get a few things”. Asked who owned the house neither Esparza nor Pacheco knew who the owner was.  Both claimed they had been given permission to enter the house but neither knew by whom. The caretaker of the home who responded to the scene did not recognize either of the suspects.

The statement of probable cause filed by Hudspeth indicates that Pacheco identified several bags of property in the car that she had taken from the house. When the inventory of the vehicle was conducted by police, multiple items were identified that had been taken from the house and were valued at $500 or more.

When Esparza was being changed out at the Detention Center, a small bag of contraband fell out of his pants leg that contained a substance that was a white powder and a single blue pill consistent with fentanyl. Esparza and Pacheco are slated for a Sept. 25 status hearing before Magistrate Judge Catherine Taylor.