The federal investigation into several Albuquerque police officers continues to create further impacts every day. KOB 4 has devoted hours to independently verify the details that agents have yet to disclose, which ultimately led to the recent dismissal of numerous DWI cases. The officers, associated with APD’s DWI Unit, have been named in the media, but are yet to face official charges.
Evidence collected indicated that they are now added to the Bernalillo County district attorney’s list of officers who have issues with credibility as court witnesses. A local attorney who represented clients in the dismissed DWI cases is also under investigation, with the FBI recently raiding his office. The connection between these raids and the ongoing investigation was confirmed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Albuquerque.
A repeated pattern illustrates the alleged misconduct: officers arrest DWI suspects, who hire the same attorney for their defense, the officers fail to appear in court and ultimately, their cases are dismissed. This pattern triggered the investigation when numerous DWI cases led by Officer Harvey Johnson, who happens to reside in a recently FBI-raided home, were dropped by the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office.
Moreover, officers Honorio Alba Jr., Joshua Montano Nelson Ortiz, and Harvey Johnson are on administrative leave as the investigation proceeds. Though Alba Jr., Montano and Johnson are not deemed credible witnesses by the DA’s office, all four officers earn top salaries in the APD.
Thomas Clear III, the attorney in question, keeps reappearing in dismissed DWI cases, prompting a raid of his mid-heights office by the FBI. His involvement is the final connection, according to Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, between the officers under investigation and DWI dismissals. However, the motive behind the officers’ failure to turn up in court remains under investigation.
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