Farmington man faces 19 charges in alleged crime spree

A Farmington man was arrested for allegedly committing several crimes, including multiple felony offenses, within the span of a few days, the Farmington Police Department said. 

Fidel Curtis, 26, is charged with multiple auto burglaries, a commercial burglary, larceny, theft, unlawful use of debit and credit cards, criminal damage to property, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and driving while license revoked, according to a criminal complaint filed in San Juan Magistrate Court. 

In total, Curtis faces 19 criminal charges. Court records list Curtis as homeless. 

The allegations began on Dec. 21, when a man told Farmington police his wallet had been stolen and someone had reportedly made several purchases with his credit card, including multiple purchases from a Foot Locker and a Kay Jewelers at the Animas Valley Mall in Farmington, the complaint states.

Three days later, officers learned that a clothing store — Inizio — had been broken into and "several thousands (of) dollars worth of merchandise and property was stolen, along with several thousand dollars in damage," according to the complaint. 

The owner of the store told police that he found a wallet, later identified as belonging to the man who said his had been stolen, and officers believed the two incidents were done by the same person, the complaint states. 

Police were able to identify Curtis and learned that he was also suspected of stealing a vehicle from Farmington and crashing it in Colorado. Curtis was being held at a detention facility in Durango on unrelated charges, according to the complaint. 

Officers spoke with Curtis, who said that he had crashed the stolen vehicle. He told police he had broken into four other vehicles and stole a pair of shoes and debit cards from the cars, the complaint states.

"During the investigation, Curtis admitted to multiple crimes committed in Farmington, including incidents that had not yet been reported to police," said Shanice Gonzales, FPD spokesperson, in a news release. 

Curtis told police he was homeless, did not have family and was "just trying to survive," according to the complaint. 

Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.