Man jailed in gallery burglary
Police say suspect used sledgehammer to enter Earthfire Gems Gallery overnight
Santa Fe police arrested a man early Tuesday after he was found downtown with a sledgehammer and a bag filled with $131,613 worth of jewelry and other valuables.
Justin Romero, 40, of Santa Fe is charged with burglarizing the Earthfire Gems Gallery on Galisteo Street, where the stolen items were returned after his arrest, police said in a news release issued later Tuesday morning.
Romero also faces counts of possession of burglary tools; criminal damage to property and possession of a controlled substance, the news release said, adding Romero had an unrelated warrant out for his arrest at the time of the incident.
An officer patrolling the downtown area around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday noticed a man peeking out from behind a parking lot wall, and went to investigate, according to the news release. The man — later identified as Romero — fled when he saw the officer but was quickly detained.
The officer found a sledgehammer and a blue athletic-style bag near the wall where Romero had been hiding. The bag contained several gems, rocks, silver, decorative skulls and an assortment of other items, according to the news release.
Police received reports an alarm going off at the Earthfire Gems Gallery about the same time Romero was detained, the release said.
Lt. Thomas Grundler did not respond to questions about the charge involving a controlled substance or the unrelated arrest warrant for Romero.
Romero was booked in the Santa Fe County jail around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the facility’s online records.