Albuquerque high school student accused of bringing gun to school released to family
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A student accused of bringing a gun to an Albuquerque high school is back at home after the juvenile detention center wouldn’t take him. This after Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen spoke at the same high school just hours earlier.
“We don’t have time, we need a short-term solution,” said Sheriff John Allen.
Tuesday, the sheriff said enough is enough after law enforcement tried to book a student for bringing a gun to school yesterday and the teen was released. “What I’m worried about is when it’s coming to juveniles, and when it’s coming to [Youth Services Center]. Also, we’re stacking failures, we’re not stacking any successes,” said Sheriff Allen.
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Just a short time before that, Sheriff Allen spoke at West Mesa High School, encouraging them to make good choices. “I spoke to four classes. And I got through to a lot of them. And I just speak to that as the sheriff, I speak to him from John to another student,” said Sheriff Allen.
It was because of his visit, a student reported to school officials another student had a gun on campus. The school was placed in a short lockdown, and the student in question was taken in.
He was suspected of being drunk at school and was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) to be cleared. When Albuquerque Public Schools police took him to the Youth Services Center (YSC), which is the county’s juvenile jail, the teen and the officers had to wait more than three hours, before the facility denied his admittance, saying he did not have proper medical clearance from the hospital.
He was released to his family, without anyone knowing, the sheriff says, whether that is where the teen had access to alcohol or guns. “The child who reported that other kid if that kid is not booked, and he goes back and finds out who it is, what is the retaliation going to be? Are we gonna have another dead child?”
The sheriff says the YSC policies and procedures are not clear when law enforcement tries to take youth in, he says it is just the latest of concerning incidents at the facility, including a riot on Christmas Day. “I will tell you as the sheriff, I’ve warned people in December, after what happened, and it came to fruition and everything that I feared is starting to come to fruition.”
The sheriff is calling for serious change at the YSC and pledges his office will crack down on teens who break the law. “We’ve given them enough time and we had something as simple as yesterday, that makes us take steps back. I’m not going to keep waiting for everything to be perfect. And for YSC to be ready. They better figure it out pretty quick.”
Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman and Sheriff Allen sent a letter to county leaders as well:
The YSC sent this statement Tuesday night:
The Youth Services Center is working on intake guidelines that will help law enforcement understand the pre-established medical protocols that are accepted into YSC, and which ones will trigger a refusal. We plan to distribute that document on Monday, May 20, and implement it thereafter. We are also working to reduce the amount of time it takes to book an individual into the facility.
The delay in processing the child in question for intake on Monday, May 13, was attributed to a lack of information on the original medical clearance form provided. The form did not specify what the boy was initially cleared for, and our nurse observed him exhibiting symptoms related to possible drug use, as well as an odor of alcohol. The child’s erratic behavior concerned the nurse, and without medical clearance paperwork with specific information, the nurse couldn’t assure his safety inside YSC. That is why the nurse requested that the boy be taken to a hospital for further testing and observation.
The New Mexico Detention Certification 8.14.14 NMAC says that when a child is seen by a provider and they have a concern, admission may be denied until law enforcement transports the child for the medical clearance being requested. In the end, Albuquerque Public schools elected to return the boy to his parents rather than proceed with obtaining the requested/required documentation needed to safely book the individual into YSC.
The officer who brought the child to YSC on Monday had to wait at the facility for three and a half hours. This is unacceptable and will be dealt with by the county immediately.
We understand the frustration situations like this pose for our partners in law enforcement and the DA’s office, and we are working tirelessly to streamline our operations. We look forward to an ongoing partnership with open communication and cooperation between all parties, which is in the best interest of our community and the youth entrusted to our care at YSC, both presently and in the future.
Melissa Smith, Senior Communications Specialist
