Correction: In a previous version of this story, KRQE stated Rene Anthony Barela’s address was listed in the parking lot of Cottonwood Mall. That is incorrect. The address he lists is the Home Depot parking lot, located at 10200 Coors Bypass NW.

Friday’s Top Stories

Friday’s Five Facts

[1] Rules on where New Mexico sex offenders can register to live raise eyebrows: There are 1,300 registered sex offenders, and not everyone is happy with where they are allowed to live after completing probation and parole. In 2004, Rene Anthony Barela was convicted of criminal sexual contact with a minor. When he registered as a sex offender, his official address was in his car in the parking lot of a Home Depot. According to state law, that is completely legal. The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Tracking Unit said people are often upset to learn that once an offender is finished with probation or parole, there are no restrictions about where that person can register to live. Many parents and community members want stricter rules.

[2] Albuquerque stabbing suspect will stay in jail until trial: The man accused in a string of stabbing just days after being released on parole is set to stay locked up until his trial. Leroy Lopez is accused of four different stabbings in less than two hours in Downtown Albuquerque on Sunday afternoon. Prosecutors argued his lengthy criminal history should be enough to hold him behind bars. The defense asked that he be released. Judge Courtney Weaks sided with the state, ruling he should be held behind bars until trial.

[3] Friday’s forecast: Friday morning is mostly quiet, with only a couple of showers ending in Socorro county and the Gila Mountains. Skies will be mostly to partly sunny for the rest of the state, and temperatures will be cooler than yesterday by a few degrees during the morning commute. A few of the valleys in the northern mountains are seeing fog.

[4] Santa Fe seeing an increase in property damage: Santa Fe police are warning of a rise in property crime. According to police, the rate of residential, commercial, and auto burglaries has continued to go up over the past few years. Shoplifting and other types of theft, as well as robberies, have also seen a spike. Police said the higher numbers do not necessarily mean more people are committing crimes. Rather, the same people are committing more crimes. To help tackle the robberies and burglaries, Santa Fe Police are conducting retail crime operations, similar to what the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office is doing.

[5] BCSO K9 stabbed during SWAT standoff makes full recovery: A Bernalillo County K-9 who was injured in the line of duty is back on the job. Deputies said 40-year-old Jebrene Garcia stabbed Nordy with a knife during a SWAT standoff earlier this month. The injury required some stitches, healing, and rest. Friday morning, he is back on the job and getting additional training to become a bomb dog.