Police break bread theft case
Traffic stop results in discovery of loaf of stolen banana nut bread

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — It's the "case of the stolen banana nut bread." That particular dessert is the key to a case where stolen items were recovered by Grants police.

Robert Montano, 19, and Raymond Gonzales, 17, failed to stop at a stop sign while using a friend's car, and the resulting traffic stop by police ended with both being arrested.

Both were arrested in connection with hunting equipment, two rifles and a Glock handgun being stolen from a vehicle at Days Inn on New Year's Eve sometime during the night, said Grants Police Detective Moses Marquez.

Because two rifles, of unknown caliber, and a .40 caliber Glock handgun are still on the streets, Grants Police are asking the public to contact CrimeStoppers at (505) 287-8400 or Marquez at the police department at (505) 287-4404. All calls will be confidential and a reward for information leading to the recovery of the weapons and an arrest may be offered, Marquez said.

Stolen were: weapons, boxes of ammunition, a GPS satellite system, scopes for the rifles, hunting knives, animal calls, a night vision scope and a loaf of banana nut bread.

It was the banana nut bread that broke the case, when Corral searched the vehicle after getting a search warrant, Marquez said.

"We thought the items we found, everything but the weapons, might be theirs, but when we found the banana nut bread, which was listed in the original police report about the theft, we knew it was the property of the hunter," he said.

All the items were in the trunk of the vehicle in a back pack, Marquez said.

"When (Grants Police Officer Salvador) Corral asked the driver, Gonzales, if there were drugs or alcohol in the car, he immediately said 'this is not my car,' " Marquez said.

"Most people will just say no or yes but when they say 'it's not their car,' that's a big red flag for officers. That means we have to look into the situation further," he said.

Corral called for the Grants Police K-9 unit and the dog hit on the car, Marquez said. There was 140 grams of marijuana in the glove compartment in three separated bags, two smaller ones inside a larger one, he said.

He said he did not know the street value of the drug because the street prices are always changing.

The vehicle was not stolen, and the owner is not being charged with possession of the marijuana, Marquez said.

Charges against Gonzales include possession with intent to distribute and receiving stolen property.

"They bought the items from a third person," Marquez said.

Montao is charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin, call (505) 287-2197 or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.