Three burglary suspects arrested after car chase

Santa Fe County sheriff ’s deputies arrested three suspects Monday in connection with the weekend burglary of a Las Campanas home and were looking for a fourth.

Elidoro Tapia, 26, of Santa Fe was charged with burglary, as well as possession of suspected heroin and marijuana, after a Sunday afternoon car chase that began with a report of a suspicious vehicle in the upscale subdivision northwest of the city.

Also charged were Nicolas Barranco, 22, and Andalesia Tafoya, 26, who court documents say were seen in the fleeing vehicle. Officers deployed spike strips to stop the car near Old Buckman Road.

A deputy wrote in a Magistrate Court complaint that he spotted a gray Toyota Corolla and saw Barranco exit it and try to push open a Las Campanas security gate, then fled toward an arroyo as the car sped away toward Camino La Tierra. Officers later apprehended Barranco crossing Camino La Tierra on foot, according to court documents.

Las Campanas security personnel followed the Corolla onto Old Buckman Road toward the Diablo Canyon recreational area before deputies caught up to the car and saw the driver operating it in a reckless manner, running other cars off the road, court documents state.

After the car was disabled, reports state, deputies apprehended Tapia and Tafoya and found a television in the car along with other items that “appeared out of place.”

Using video surveillance and witness statements, deputies determined the Corolla was previously seen on Clove Court, where Tapia and Barranco were seen removing a television from a home, reports state.

The documents also said investigators found signs of forced entry at the home, which deputies found was “in disarray.”

Santa Fe County Sheriff ’s Office spokesman Juan Rios said investigators have identified a fourth suspect who remained at large Monday.

A magistrate denied bond for Tapia and Barranco, who was charged with damaging the locked security gate and trying to flee from an officer.

Jail records indicated Tafoya also was being held without bond.