Police: Man accused of stealing vehicle also had weapons, drugs

A Santa Fe man accused of stealing a vehicle was found with handguns and narcotics inside the car, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Santa Fe Police Department on Monday in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court.

Michael Chavez, 40, was booked on suspicion of five crimes, including two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, according to the complaint.

Police on Sunday morning found an unoccupied white 2013 Ford F-150 that had been reported as stolen parked outside a Walgreens on Cerrillos Road near Richards Avenue. When Chavez came out of the store and walked toward the car, police searched him for weapons, the complaint states.

Police said he was the subject of two warrants for arrest, including one for unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, according to the complaint.

Officers said they found brass knuckles with a folding knife attached, a bag containing cocaine, two .40-caliber pistol cartridges and one .45- caliber pistol cartridge in Chavez’s pockets.

Inside the vehicle, they reported finding a 9 mm handgun beneath one of the seats, as well as a loaded 17 mm semiautomatic Glock handgun on the floorboard, according to the complaint. They also located a package of .40-caliber pistol cartridges and three individually wrapped drugs, including heroin and cocaine, reports stated.

Police said Chavez stated the drugs weren’t his. After being cleared at Presbyterian Healthcare Services, Chavez was booked into the Santa Fe County jail, documents said.