Old Town vandalized again, leaving merchants, DA exasperated

Old Town business owners are frustrated with what they say is continued criminal activity against their properties.

“We’re going to have to help ourselves here,” Outpost 1706 owner and former New Mexico State Police Chief Pete Kassetas said. “The city is not going to save us. The Legislature is not going to legislate (its) way out of this problem.”

The most recent incidents took place Tuesday morning after police say a homeless man broke windows to multiple businesses and a museum while also setting fire to The Shop at Old Town.

Dominic Ayon, 40, is charged with two counts of criminal damage over $1,000. According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, the arson case is still being investigated.

In previous arrests, according to court records, Ayon told police he used methamphetamine and heard voices. He is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center. It is unclear if he has an attorney.

According to the complaint, police said they were able to identify Ayon as the suspect from surveillance. Police said one officer told them Ayon commonly stayed at nearby Tiguex Park.

“My frustration is boiling over when it comes to property crime against businesses in Old Town,” 2nd Judicial District Attorney Sam Bregman told the Journal.

Tuesday’s incident is not the first time Old Town has been vandalized, and business owners want the city to do something.

“Our ask is simple, and our ask is reasonable: One nightly patrol from APD throughout all of Old Town, 365 nights a year, in perpetuity,” Historic Old Town Association President J.J. Mancini said in an e-newsletter. “This is a reasonable request and it could be a highly effective deterrent to the types of crime Old Town experiences on a nightly basis.”

APD did not comment on the incident Wednesday. Spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said police will address the situation on Friday.

Mayor’s Office spokesperson Ava Montoya said the “city understands how frustrating this is for business owners, and will continue to work to put solutions in place that keep our neighborhoods safer, while finding and arresting those who are responsible, as APD did in this case.”

‘Sad and dismayed’

According to a criminal complaint filed at Metropolitan Court, officers responded to multiple calls of vandalism and a fire in Old Town after 4 a.m. Tuesday.

The Shop at Old Town owner Nael Ali said a jogger saw what was happening before calling first responders. By the time Ali got the news, it was too late to save his business, which was torched on the inside.

All the hard work he poured into the store was gone “in a split second,” Ali said Wednesday.

Along with the burning of The Shop at Old Town, two stores were vandalized, including the Old Town Cafe, which suffered multiple broken windows when police say Ayon threw a chair that smashed through the glass.

Police said Ayon also broke multiple glass panels at the Albuquerque Museum. Deputy Director of Arts and Culture Elsa Menendez said damages were over $38,000.

“We’re sad and dismayed and disappointed whenever public institutions or private (establishments) are vandalized,” she said.

Police said they arrested Ayon at Tiguex Park. Police said he didn’t talk about the vandalism. When asked about the security camera footage, Ayon “claimed entrapment.”

‘We’re demanding some resources’

On Wednesday, Ali stood outside his business, demoralized.

“We don’t know what to do anymore,” Ali said. “We’re hopeless at this point. It’s bad enough not everyone is coming to Old Town to shop.”

While he said he hopes to reopen someday, Ali said he knows it would take months “to figure out the mess, deal with city permits and all that.”

Some stores in the area, like Old Town Cafe, could be seen with boarded up windows.

“Merchants are trying to get things quickly fixed because people don’t want to see boarded up windows,” owner Michelle LeMeres said.

LeMeres, other business owners and local officials want something to be done to try and limit crime in the area.

“We have a wonderful place in Old Town, and we cannot let it deteriorate and let it become crime-ridden,” Bregman said. “We will prosecute those who commit property crime on those businesses.”

House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, penned a letter to APD Chief Harold Medina asking him to create a tactical plan for Old Town.

“A proactive approach to the issues affecting Old Town will allow us to gain traction as it relates to the criminal element,” Martinez said. “While we understand all of the different pressures on your department, we’re hopeful that together and under your leadership we can find solutions for the issues impacting this community.”

“We want some resources,” Kassetas said. “We’re demanding some resources. We don’t want to turn into the Central corridor.”

Mancini said in the e-newsletter that the board will make its request to the City Council.