Three charged in Portales home robberies

Portales police have charged three of the five suspects they say are connected with a pair of armed home invasions in Portales late last month.

Jeremy Enriquez, 19, Mark Aragon, 15, and Oscar Hernandez, 16, were charged Wednesday in connection with armed home invasion robberies that occurred July 27 on South Globe Street and July 25 on Libra Avenue, according to Capt. Lonnie Berry of the Portales Police Department.

Enriquez, Aragon and Hernandez and two other Clovis residents were arrested in connection with a similar home invasion July 29 in Clovis.
All five are suspects in several other armed robberies in eastern New Mexico and West Texas, according to police.

Berry said Portales police are still pursuing charges against the other two individuals arrested and expects those to be filed soon.

“We think they’re all apprehended, Berry said of the suspects in the Portales holdups. “We’ve put a pretty good case together. We feel like we’ve got everybody (who should be) accountable.”

According to police, five suspects entered the homes and threatened the residents with a handgun. A female resident was involved in the Libra incident and two males in their 20s were at the Globe resident when suspects broke in.

In both cases vehicles at the residences and other items were stolen. The residents on Globe were treated and released for injuries received from being struck in the head with a handgun.

Berry said the incidents sparked a great deal of public concerns. He said police are still receiving phone calls concerned about the robberies. He said he welcomes the calls and wants to help people be safe.

Berry said Portales police used a two-pronged approach in response to the crimes. Sgt. Brack Rains spearheaded an intensified patrol regimen while Detective Todd Moore coordinated the investigation into the crimes.

He said that the multi-jurisdiction of the crimes seems to have sparked a greater awareness of the need to work together with other agencies.
“We can’t let this thing happen again,” Berry said. “We’ve got to stay abreast of what’s happening in other communities.”

Enriquez was charged by Portales police with two counts of aggravated burglary, two counts of conspiracy, two counts of accessory to the unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, three counts of assault with intent to commit a violent felony and four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

He is being held at the Curry County Detention Center with a cash-only bond of $150,000 on the Portales charges.

Aragon and Hernandez  were charged in Portales with two counts of aggravated burglary, two counts of conspiracy, two counts of accessory to unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, and three counts of assault with intent to commit a violent felony.

They are in the custody of juvenile authorities.