ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) — New State Police video revealed an ongoing problem for the Downs at Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque. It showed people illegally living in the horse barns by the racetrack.
On October 18, 2022, State Police looked through the barns; not for horses, but for people.
“We had two guards kick them out of this room, and when they kicked them out, they actively caught them using meth,” said one Downs employee.
The employees called the police to ask for help looking for a man living on the grounds named Alejandro. Instead, they find Raul Leon-Ramirez and Alexsandra Chavez.
Officer: “This where he lives…?”
Chavez: “Yeah, this is where he works.”
Officer: “He works here? Okay, that’s not what The Downs is saying.”
At first, Chavez gives the police a fake name and story.
Officer: “Why do you guys keep coming back here?”
Chavez: “I don’t keep coming back. I was only here one time, and then, I came to get my keys.”
“This guy has been banned and escorted out with that girl, I don’t know how many times,” said another employee.
After learning the two had trespassed in August, police arrested them. They also kept looking for Alejandro, and they eventually found him in one of the barns. Alejandro gets a warning, but police said he would be arrested if he was caught trespassing again.
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Leon-Ramirez and Chavez are wanted after being released and failing to show up in court. KRQE reached out to Expo New Mexico to see how much of a problem this is but has not heard back.
