Man accused of committing more than a dozen armed robberies around Albuquerque

An Albuquerque man allegedly committed more than a dozen robberies in February and March, at one point robbing three businesses in one day.

Isidro Gallegos, 46, is charged with dozens of felonies, including robbery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at an occupied dwelling and auto theft.

A court motion to detain Gallegos until trial refers to his actions as "brazen." He is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center and has a detention hearing scheduled for Friday morning, according to court records.

Gallegos is represented by attorney Jay Nair, who did not respond to a request for comment as of Wednesday afternoon.

Gallegos pleaded guilty in a 2013 plea deal to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, according to court records.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, Brooke Hefty, 43, of Tijeras, was Gallegos' lookout and getaway driver on a handful of the robberies.

On March 28, a grand jury charged Hefty with two counts of armed robbery and receiving or transferring stolen vehicles. Her arraignment is set for Friday morning, according to court records.

Hefty is represented by attorney Lena Kephart, who told the Journal, "It is still early in the case, and Ms. Hefty is considered innocent until proven guilty."

The Albuquerque Police Department received reports of armed robberies involving Gallegos from Feb. 5 until March 15 that included the use of a handgun, an illegally modified rifle and multiple stolen vehicles, including a blue 2019 Hyundai Sonata, according to the criminal complaint.

The complaint states that after his arrest, Gallegos told police he committed the robberies in order to feed his addiction to fentanyl.

According to the complaint, police identified Gallegos as the suspect from surveillance taken from various robberies, social media and witness descriptions.

The complaint also states that Gallegos told police he was responsible for "approximately" 10 convenience store robberies on the east side of the city because he was familiar with the area. Gallegos allegedly told police he changed things up to include robbing restaurants and motels due to convenience stores becoming "too hot."

According to police, Gallegos is accused of twice robbing the Circle K convenience store in the 12900 block of Indian School NE, near Constitution, taking about $3,000 worth of cigarettes and whiskey during one robbery and about $1,000 in cigarettes during another.

During the robberies, the complaint states, Gallegos wore a black trench coat and a mask and pointed a weapon at the victim. According to police, Gallegos mainly used a black handgun except for a handful of robberies in which he used a shotgun and wood-grain rifle. A pretrial motion states Gallegos also used a machete.

Gallegos is also accused of carjacking a Ford Mustang from a Carlsbad resident who was visiting Albuquerque in February, the complaint states.

Police say Gallegos had an accomplice — later identified as Hefty — as the getaway driver during multiple robberies in March.

The complaint states a second man came in armed with Gallegos during two robberies on March 13. APD spokeswoman Franchesca Perdue told the Journal police are looking into charging him.

According to police, Gallegos and Hefty were arrested on March 15 after APD located the blue Hyundai at Love's Travel Stop in the 12600 block of Central NW, near Atrisco Vista, following a robbery at a motel in Southeast Albuquerque.