Federal arrest warrant

SAN RAFAEL, N.M. – After being in custody for murder, Alejandro Balderrama was mistakenly released thanks to confusion as Balderrama was also being held on charges from the US Marshal’s Service, he was arrested by the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office and returned to prison three years ago. Now, after serving out his sentence, Balderrama was released with the condition that he checks into a halfway house.

According to Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace, CCSO discovered that Balderrama recently failed to check into his halfway house. This triggered a federal warrant for his arrest.

After establishing surveillance, CCSO deputy Alan Roane noticed that Balderrama was leaving the house, he turned on his sirens and attempted a traffic stop. The truck stopped, a female left the driver’s seat and Balderrama allegedly scooted to the driver’s seat, leading CCSO on a vehicle pursuit that hit speeds as high as 65 miles per hour through the streets of San Rafael, N.M.

Eventually Balderrama allegedly crashed into the San Rafael Mission Church, doing minimal damage, according to Sheriff Mace. From there, he led deputies on a foot chase.

Balderrama was taken to Grants Police Department in Grants, N.M. for an interview in another incident the Cibola Citizen will cover in next week’s edition.

No one was hurt during the incident and Balderrama was arrested by CCSO.

FBI Alert

The FBI is asking for the public's assistance in identifying the person or persons responsible for the homicide of Michael Barney Sr.

On June 7, 2021, Barney, 50, was found deceased outside his residence located on Roadrunner Drive in Sundance, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation.

The cause of death is pending, but is considered suspicious.

The Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety is assisting with this investigation.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to immediately contact the FBI by calling 505-889- 1300 or sending information online at tips.fbi.gov.