This has been an interesting week in Albuquerque and we don't really know where to begin. First we had the bizarre story of APD's kinda-of-investigation-but-not-really of District Attorney Brandenburg. Our Eyes are telling us things inside APD, that is the high command, are scrambling to explain how exactly a detective on his own refers a case to the Attorney General's office without there being any statement by APD brass nevermind the detective's sergeant? Are we really to believe this Detective took it upon himself to send the case across the street on his own? Like her or not, Ms. Brandbenburg is the top cop in the county and this whole matter smells much like the Judge Murdoch affair. Except this time instead of sex we've got guns and money in play. Weird.
Then we saw this little article:
No sooner is David Tourek out the door then are the replacements lining up. One name however jumped out at us: Erica Anderson. You see, Ms. Anderson has been busy defending Perry/Berry/Schultz in the lawsuit brought against them by the family of the "departed" civil rights attorney Mary Han. (It's been a while since we reported on that case but you do remember that one right? You know, the suspicious death scene where virtually all of APD and City's brass arrived at a crime scene and said "nothing suspicious" and left possibly with diamond rings, computers, cellphones, pictures, and files.) Funny, Ms. Anderson has been very busy over the past year outside of her representing the squad of crime scene contamination experts:
First she tried to run for a judgeship last summer:
And when she failed at that (it seems that even though she has been carrying water for the Republicans, she is in fact a Democrat, and we know Martinez doesn't like such creatures) she started her own law firm:
But what's even weirder is that apparently she's also working for Tourek's brother in law, attorney Stephen French still:
So we're not sure what's going on there but, either way it stinks.
Looks folks, it seems doing business at the speed of Albuquerque means..."kinda." Get in or get out. If you're gonna charge the DA with a crime then step up with department leaders leading the way, not some poor detective that is going to get left holding the bag to explain why the department fully complied with a IPRA request (when it rarely does) and did so when there was a clear exemption to the request (how often have we heard APD use the "on-going investigation" excuse?)
Add to that a clear scheme where an attorney who appears to have the inside track for the city's top legal position is working for the the retiring city's attorney's brother-in-law but also has her own practice on the side? And really, chasing after the Han family for legal fees. How 'bout you produce the cell phones and articles that were taken from the scene first? And Ms. Anderson, don't think for a minute we aren't aware of your interaction with Ms. Han....
We don't like the look of things to come and the year is all but over yet this mess keeps moving forward....
