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Thursday, Mar 28th

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Albuquerque man can’t stay away from trouble

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Gantar: Arrested twice in recent months

An Albuquerque man, already arrested twice this year for car burglary, has now been arrested for assaulting five children.

Richard Gantar, 35, was charged with five counts of aggravated assault on May 27.

According to Gallup Police, the call came in about 2:45 pm in connection with a report of a burglary in progress. Metro Dispatch instructed officers responding to the scene that the homeowners had come home and said the suspect had a bat.

When police arrived on the scene, one of the children pointed out the house where the burglary had reportedly taken place. The 10-year-old girl also told police that she thought the suspect with a bat was going to hit them.

Because of the description of the suspect, Gantar, who was found nearby, was detained by police. At the same time, the owners of the house where the burglary reportedly took place gave police permission to search their house. Nothing was reported to have been stolen.

At the same time the house was being searched, four police officers were needed to detain Gantar, who reportedly was causing a disturbance by being disorderly and refusing to follow commands to stay quiet.

Police finally had to put leg restraints on him. When Med Star personnel arrived at the site to check on those who had been assaulted, Gantar began yelling at them saying that the police officers at the scene were not actually police officers.

Police searched two residences in the area where a break-in allegedly occurred but found no one inside. Two of the windows in the building looked as if they had been opened.

Police were informed that Gantar had followed several children, ranging in age from eight to 15, and when they entered one of the houses, he reportedly began banging at the door. They stayed inside the house and the suspect eventually walked away, giving the five children the opportunity to get out a window and run to their grandparents home.

Gantar was charged with five counts of aggravated assault and evading arrest because of his behavior after he had been detained.

He is also facing vehicle burglary in two separate cases, one of which is still in the magistrate court and the other has been bound over to district court.