Latest news with #Montaño
Express Tribune
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Cruz Azul: Watch Andrés Montaño's golazo for Cruz Azul in Liga MX quarter-final
Cruz Azul's Andrés Montaño delivered one of the standout moments of the Liga MX Clausura 2025 playoffs with a thunderous strike that gave La Máquina a 2–0 lead against Club León in Thursday night's quarter-final first leg — a goal now making waves across social media. Montaño's golazo came in the 19th minute, when the 21-year-old midfielder pounced on a loose ball just outside the box and rifled a left-footed rocket into the top corner. Llegó el 2o gol de la máquina cementera!!! Largo recorrido de Andrés Montaño quien dispara y le desvían el tiro a puerta para aumentar la ventaja !! León 0-2 #CruzAzul — Puro Cruz Azul (@pur0cruzazul) May 9, 2025 León goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota could only watch as the net rippled — the goal was both a stunner and a statement. Cruz Azul had already taken an early lead through Ignacio Rivero, and Montaño's goal appeared to put them firmly in control. The midfielder wasn't done either — he added a second before half-time, completing a brace and pushing the score to 3–1. Despite León fighting back in the second half, including a goal from Iván Moreno and a spirited spell even after Adonis Frías was sent off in the 51st minute, Cruz Azul held on for a crucial 3–2 away win. But it was Montaño's first goal — a moment of individual brilliance — that defined the match and gave fans a viral highlight to replay on loop. With the return leg at the Estadio Azteca looming, Cruz Azul carries the advantage, and Montaño now carries the spotlight.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Yahoo
New Mexico Supreme Court orders new trial for 2 men convicted in deadly shooting
VALENCIA COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – The Supreme Court of New Mexico vacated the convictions of two men who were found guilty of murder and other offenses related to a deadly shooting in Valencia County in 2019. In a unanimous decision, the court concluded that a district court wrongly excluded an eyewitness from being called to testify at trial, which deprived Jesus Garcia and Alexandro Montelongo-Murillo of their constitutional right to present a defense. Story continues below Community: NM Dancewear closes its doors for good, leaving hole in dance community Food: Los Ranchos restaurant named best spot for brunch in the state by Yelp Crime: ABQ woman frustrated, two vehicles stolen from hospital parking lot days apart Film: Do you recognize these 'El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie' filming locations? The witness, Lorenzo Montaño, was a neighbor who saw the drive-by shooting and identified a man who was never charged in the crime as one of the assailants, according to a news release from the Administrative Office of the Courts. The district court excluded Montaño as a witness after conducting a hearing, concluding that the defense failed to comply with a requirement in the rules of criminal procedure to identify its witnesses by name and address within 30 days after the arraignment of a defendant. The trial court also found it prejudicial to the prosecution for the defense to wait until just before trial to identify a witness. The Supreme Court determined that the defense met the requirements for notifying the prosecution of witnesses and that 'neither the State nor the defense is required to retype the names and addresses of an opposing party's witnesses onto their witness list' under procedural rules. 'As Defendant Garcia persuasively argues, there is little doubt that Montaño's testimony was crucial to the defense because he was an eyewitness to the homicide at issue and he would testify that someone else – a plausible alternate suspect – committed the crime. This evidence is quintessential exculpatory evidence that, if believed, could completely change the outcome of trial,' the court wrote in an opinion by Justice Julie J. Vargas. The court also rejected a defense argument that the surviving brother's identification of the defendants should be suppressed. A jury convicted Garcia and Montelongo-Murillo of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. They were each sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and an additional 18 years for the other offenses. The Supreme Court of New Mexico ordered a new trial. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Yahoo
APD chief talks DWI officers convicted by feds, explains impact on internal investigation
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina spoke out for the first time since some of his former officers admitted to participating in a DWI dismissal scheme for years. Beyond the emotions, Medina said the confessions have helped him continue to clean up the department. 'It's just really shocking to me, like how that line could have been crossed,' Medina told KRQE Investigative Reporter Ann Pierret. The criminal scheme dates back to 1995, spanning generations of the APD's DWI unit, according to federal investigators. Prominent Albuquerque Defense Attorney Thomas Clear III and Paralegal Ricardo 'Rick' Mendez worked with APD officers and other members of local law enforcement to get drivers to pay thousands to make sure their DWI case was dismissed or never filed. Related Coverage 'Unconscionable:' Mayor talks DWI scheme, expresses trust in Albuquerque police 'We held people accountable': Chief takes credit for ending DWI scheme within APD Former APD officer named in scheme now trains DWI officers for state of New Mexico Former U.S. Attorney speaks out on DWI Unit scandal 2 Albuquerque police officers who resigned amid DWI Unit scandal now working for CYFD Governor, state's top cop respond to DWI corruption scheme Chief Medina has known, worked alongside, or above, all thirteen APD officers that have been connected to the scheme. So far, three former APD officers who recently worked in the DWI unit admitted to their roles in the scheme. They are Neill Elsman, Honorio Alba Jr. and Joshua Montaño. 'These are individuals that I've known during the course of my career. And just to see that they fell into this and they got involved in this is devastating,' Medina said. 'The most disappointing one for me is Josh Montaño,' the chief added. KRQE News 13 previously reported on a drunk driver who hit and hospitalized Montaño in 2022. During that time, Montaño's family spoke to KRQE about the financial hit they'd take during his recovery. Chief Medina said when he visited his officer at the hospital, he handed Montaño's wife a couple of hundred dollars. More than 200 other people contributed to Montaño's GoFundMe page which garnered more than $17,000 for his family. 'And it just like this sense of like betrayal, like you want to care so much for these officers. You did. You showed how much you cared for them, and then something like this happens. And it just totally like just brings to prospect how you just never know,' Medina said. With each officer's conviction, came a 15-plus page plea agreement which laid out the details of how the criminal enterprise operated, how the officers got away with it, and how long they were involved. Their confessions revealed a coordinated effort between Clear III and Mendez to make sure the officers did not show up to criminal and administrative DWI court hearings, and got protection from 'more senior APD conspiring officers,' according to court documents. 'It does make sense, and it's extremely concerning. And I'm waiting for this to see where this all turns out,' said Medina. KRQE Investigates obtained the disciplinary files for the 13 APD officers who were named in connection to the scheme. KRQE found out that if the officers received a missed court notice on their record, they rarely faced discipline. The most severe punishments were 'written reprimands.' One officer received a suspension, but there was a note in the files that it wasn't served right away. KRQE Investigative Reporter Ann Pierret: 'Is that the doing of these more senior officers?' APD Chief Harold Medina: 'I don't know. That's part of the internal affairs process. That's part of the review. That's part of what we're still assessing. We will have answers at some point.' Medina said those 'more senior officers' could be former members of the DWI unit who received promotions and moved to different departments throughout the past three decades. KRQE learned that at least one of the officers went to the internal affairs unit, but Medina isn't convinced internal affairs is entirely to blame. While the internal affairs team triages missed court notices now, the chief said prior to 2020, those were handled by an officer's supervisor. 'I now have to look at individual chains of command for traffic lieutenants, sergeants, where they may have gone out into the field, who the different people may have been, and how they could have handled missed court notices. So it's going to take a long time. But I committed to this. We will follow up and we will do as much as we can to uncover what we can,' Medina explained. Story continues below Crime: Thief returns stolen crystal to the store it was taken from in Albuquerque News Insiders: Are There ICE Raids Happening In New Mexico? Traffic: BernCo issues hundreds of citations on road with new speed camera In Clear's plea deal, he admitted that he started the criminal enterprise in 1995. Because of that, Medina said he knows more than just 13 officers will be implicated. 'I think we have the tip of the iceberg right there. Everybody seems to be like 2012, 10-ish forward. We're missing 15 years' worth of officers in there. So yes, without a doubt, that number is going to grow exponentially,' said Medina. KRQE Investigative Reporter Ann Pierret asked Medina if he thinks anyone who may have been involved in the scheme is still working at APD. The chief responded, 'Do I have suspicions? Yes. I think there could be a couple more left that we're still on the fence with. Are they being investigated? Yes. Are we on the fence about it? Yes.' Two of the 13 APD officers named in connection to the scandal are on administrative others retired or resigned rather than interviewing with internal affairs. For any retired officers identified, Medina is going after their police certification. He also said he spoke with Jason Bowie, cabinet secretary for the Department of Public Safety, about former APD officer Tim McCarson, who retired in 2022 and was recently implicated in the DWI scheme KRQE learned that McCarson took over a contract with the state to train officers on how to recognize drugged and drunk driving. On Tuesday, NMDOT told KRQE that the state had ended that contract and that the Traffic Safety Division is working to issue a new RFP. The division also has been working with the International Association of Police Chiefs to secure an instructor to volunteer in the interim. Federal investigators are also looking into allegations that members of the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office and New Mexico State Police were involved in the scheme. So far, two members of BCSO have been implicated, including an undersheriff who resigned over the weekend. One state police officer is on paid administrative leave. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Yahoo
Guilty plea: Key Albuquerque police officer's longtime role in DWI Unit
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – On Friday, two former Albuquerque Police Department officers involved in the DWI dismissal scandal pleaded guilty. In federal court, former APD officers Honorio Alba Jr. and Joshua Montaño plead guilty to RICO conspiracy, bribery, and conspiracy to commit extortion. KRQE Investigative Reporter Gabrielle Burkhart dug through police and court records to explain why Joshua Montaño's tenure with the Albuquerque Police Department, and his connection with a prominent defense attorney, played a major role in the scandal. Related Coverage 'Unconscionable:' Mayor talks DWI scheme, expresses trust in Albuquerque police 'We held people accountable': Chief takes credit for ending DWI scheme within APD Former APD officer named in scheme now trains DWI officers for state of New Mexico Former U.S. Attorney speaks out on DWI Unit scandal 2 Albuquerque police officers who resigned amid DWI Unit scandal now working for CYFD Governor, state's top cop respond to DWI corruption scheme Now-former Albuquerque police officer Joshua Montaño started working for the City of Albuquerque as a police service aide in 2005 before becoming a sworn APD officer in 2007. From 2015 through 2024, he worked with APD's DWI Unit tasked with cracking down on drunk drivers and keeping the streets safe. But KRQE Investigates uncovered cases in Montaño's history that raise red flags. KRQE News 13 first showed the case of Carlos Smith last year. Smith was pulled over by Montaño for speeding then blew below the legal limit twice. Montano still charged him with DWI. Smith said that Montaño left him a voicemail. Officer Montaño: Hey Carlos, this is Officer Montaño with APD. I was just giving you a call because I – I don't know if you realize, but I'm sure you do that – some of your jewelry was missing from the property from Sunday evening. And it looks like the PTC officers didn't put that in your bag, but I have it.' Smith says Montaño directed him to defense attorney Thomas Clear III's office where Smith recorded an interaction he had with Clear's paralegal — Rick Mendez. Paralegal: 'So we charge $8,500 and you could do it in payments. Smith: 'And with you representing me, that would guarantee that this doesn't go on my record? Paralegal: 'Yes.' Mendez was the first to plead guilty to federal RICO conspiracy charges in what the feds call a 'DWI Enterprise' that goes back decades, revealing officers from APD's DWI Unit and others from the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office and New Mexico State Police funneled arrestees to his office. Mendez says he conspired with the officers to ensure they'd miss court — and the cases would get dismissed. In exchange, officers were paid cash, or other gifts like free legal services, gift cards, and hotel rooms. KRQE's investigative team went through years of court data and found that in a six-year period, from 2018 to 2023, Montaño had at least 36 DWI cases overlapping with defense attorney Clear III. 31 of them ended in a dismissal. In April 2022, local attorney Damon Ely passed along a tip to the FBI after someone came forward saying an APD Officer Montaño confiscated their driver's license after a DWI arrest and passed it along to Mendez who offered a deal that they pay $10,000 in exchange for charges dropped. 'I was really proud of these people coming forward because I think it takes real courage to do it,' said Ely. Aside from criminal court, KRQE News 13 found that Montaño was also absent for MVD license hearings in cases where defendants were represented by Attorney Clear. Hearing Officer: 'It's now 1:16, there's no email from Officer Montaño or any messages about his difficulties, so I'm gonna mark it as a failure to appear.' Montaño's absence allowed suspected drunk drivers to keep their driver's licenses after an arrest. In 2022, Montaño also had a personal run-in with DWI when a suspected drunk driver crashed into him. While he recovered, his family solicited donations from the public through a GoFundMe. He returned to work. Then last February, Montaño was put on leave pending an internal affairs investigation into the DWI scheme. Montaño resigned the following month writing, 'the issues I let myself get caught up in within the DWI Unit were generational' and 'none of the allegations against myself or others in the DWI Unit happened without supervisory knowledge.' Records show Joshua Montaño had at least six internal affairs investigations launched against him in his nearly 20 years with APD. Four of those were for missing court and he was exonerated in at least three of those investigations. Montaño was in APD's DWI Unit for roughly seven years. Montaño was named Uniform Officer of the Month in 2012. Joshua Montaño's lawyer sent this statement: Today, Joshua Montaño appeared in Federal Court and fully admitted his involvement in the DWI scandal. He regrets his actions and is deeply remorseful. He knows he let down his community and he failed to uphold his duty as a police officer. He apologizes to the community and to his friends and family. Lisa Torraco Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
