Firefighter jailed for stolen-property

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - An Albuquerque firefighter accused of buying stolen property from burglars will be placed on leave.

Police arrested Anthony Pacheco, 39, Thursday night two days after the case blew open with the arrest to two suspected burglars .

He remains in jail and is scheduled to make his first appearance before a judge Friday afternoon.

Police reported finding six TVs in Pacheco's home when they searched it Tuesday night.

They believe at least two of them were stolen and are now trying to determine just how involved the firefighter may be in the burglars' activities.

The case began Tuesday morning when police caught two suspected burglars breaking into homes on Albuquerque's West Side.

Police say Arthur Sanchez and Aaron Montoya had been looting homes in the area for weeks.

When police tried to arrest them, Montoya jumped in his pickup with his two kids in tow and sped off. But he lost control and crashed into a brick wall near Unser Boulevard and Ladera Drive.

Sanchez told detectives he'd been selling hot items to Pacheco.

He even alleged Pacheco bought some of the items while he was at work at Fire Station 21 across the street from Cibola High School.

Pacheco told police he'd bought one of the TVs at a flea market three weeks ago, but investigators say they ran its serial number and found something else.

"So not only was the TV stolen, but the story of how he obtained the TV did not corroborate anything," Officer Robert Gibbs said. "So based on that we obtained an arrest warrant."

Pacheco is initially being held without bond.

An Albuquerque Fire Department spokesperson said Pacheco will be placed on leave. AFD Chief James Breen is expected to provide more information at a news conference for Friday afternoon.

According to online court records this isn't Pacheco's first run-in with the law. He previously has been convicted of DWI as well as domestic violence.

He was also fired from AFD for time-card fraud but was rehired after an appeal.