AG Balderas, Mayor Keller, Senator Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, NM Coalition Against Domestic Violence Announce Results of Domestic Violence Warrant Round Up; Future Domestic Violence Trainings

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 2, 2019
Contact: Matt Baca (505) 270-7148

Albuquerque, NM – Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas, in coordination with Mayor Tim
Keller, Senator Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, and the NM Coalition Against Domestic
Violence announced the results of phase two of Operation Steel Net. This operation was a
coordinated law enforcement effort between the Office of the Attorney General, the Albuquerque
Police Department, the US Marshal Service Task Force, the Office of the Superintendent of
Insurance, and the Department of Corrections to find and arrest violent offenders with
outstanding warrants in the Albuquerque metro area. This operation is a result of months worth
of intelligence gathering, analysis, and coordination, and it resulted in 39 successful arrests of
violent criminals wanted by the Court, nearly all of them on charges related to domestic
violence.
“We must work together to bring perpetrators of domestic violence to justice on
behalf of survivors and families across New Mexico” said Attorney General Balderas. “I
am grateful for the collaborative effort of these agencies, and I will continue to aggressively fight
against domestic violence in our communities.”
“We can’t predict homicides, but we can attack the underlying causes, like domestic violence,
drugs, gangs and gun violence,” Mayor Tim Keller said. “Some of the offenders who perpetrate
violence at home drive other types of crime in our city. This partnership between APD and the
Attorney General is a force multiplier to get violent criminals off the streets and behind bars.”
Senator Sedillo Lopez added: “I am grateful for the leadership of the Attorney General in
training law enforcement on gun safety and domestic violence laws that will save lives.”
“The Coalition is deeply appreciative of the work of the Attorney General in collaborating with
advocacy groups to protect the lives of survivors of domestic violence,” said Pamelya Herdon of
the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
The group also announced the creation of the “Maria Elena Aragon Memorium Training,” a
multi-disciplinary approach for training on law, policy, and best practices in investigating and
prosecuting DV cases, as well as providing resources for survivors. The training is named for
Maria Elena Aragon, a Roswell woman who was killed by her husband, Castulo Aragon. He is
being prosecuted for her murder by the Office of the Attorney General and Fifth Judicial District
Attorney Dianna Luce.
This operation came as a result of the Governor’s Task Force on Violent Crime. The Office of
the Attorney General continues to partner with multiple law-enforcement entities throughout the
State to continue fighting for the safety of New Mexico families.