DA: Circle K suspect was out on clerical error
Eric Reddick was supposed to stay in jail after a judge granted a motion last spring to keep him locked up pending trial on stolen vehicle charges.
But the district attorney says a clerical error — someone in his office “checked the wrong box” — led to his charges being dismissed and he was released.
On Friday, police say Reddick, 21, walked into a Circle K convenience store on Wyoming and Claremont NE, pointed a semi-automatic handgun at the clerk and demanded money — pocketing $40.
Then, they say, he opened fire at an employee trying to take a picture of his license plate. The fragmented bullet struck the employee and a bystander filling up his SUV, and both men are expected to survive.
Reddick and his accomplice, Allyssandre Moncayo, 21, fled in a stolen white Chevrolet Impala and were arrested later that day, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.
Both Reddick and Moncayo list their addresses as “homeless” on the complaints, and Reddick told police he robbed the store so they wouldn’t have to panhandle.
They are charged with armed robbery, aggravated battery, conspiracy and receiving or transferring a stolen motor vehicle. Moncayo was released from jail Saturday.
Police are still investigating whether Reddick is tied to five other robberies, said officer Tanner Tixier, a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department. Police initially asked media outlets not to release Reddick’s name until more interviews had been conducted.
On July 1, Reddick was arrested and charged with receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia and other crimes. The District Attorney’s Office asked for him to be held in jail until trial and the judge agreed.
But someone at the District Attorney’s Office had miscategorized the case as having 60 days to secure an indictment rather than 10 days, DA Raúl Torrez said in an interview Tuesday.
Torrez said his office realized the mistake after Reddick was released and tried to schedule a grand jury hearing, but a number of procedural and scheduling conflicts kept that from happening.
“The challenge now is to redesign our protocols to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Torrez said. “It’s totally unacceptable to me.”
Torrez said his office has filed another motion asking for Reddick to be kept in jail until trial, and they are working with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to determine whether Reddick should face federal charges in the Circle K robbery.