Repeat Offender back in Custody, Frustrated Sheriff Speaks Out

Walker took a plea deal on October 24th, 2017 where he plead guilty on the five felony charges of conspiracy to commit larceny, conspiracy to commit burglary of a motor vehicle, aggravated assault upon a peace officer with a deadly weapon, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and criminal damage to property; Walker was lightly sentenced and released from custody with a conditional discharge and five years of supervised probation by Judge Dean. A conditional discharge means that if Walker could abide by his probation and terms of release, his felony convictions would ultimately be dismissed. In l

From the San Juan Co. Sheriff's Office:

Robert Tyler Walker has now been charged with 28 felonies since March of 2016 according to nmcourts.gov; these felonies include armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault on a police officer with a deadly weapon and unlawful taking of a motor vehicle. Walker has also been charged with numerous misdemeanors and petty misdemeanors such as aggravated battery, failure to comply, resisting and larceny.

Walker took a plea deal on October 24th, 2017 where he plead guilty on the five felony charges of conspiracy to commit larceny, conspiracy to commit burglary of a motor vehicle, aggravated assault upon a peace officer with a deadly weapon, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and criminal damage to property; Walker was lightly sentenced and released from custody with a conditional discharge and five years of supervised probation by Judge Dean. A conditional discharge means that if Walker could abide by his probation and terms of release, his felony convictions would ultimately be dismissed. In less than 24 hours after his release on October 24th, 2017, Walker beat a Bloomfield man unconscious with a hammer, in a home invasion. After Walker was incarcerated for the additional charges from the beating, he was heard bragging on jail tapes to family about getting out of jail soon due to the lax sentencing he previously received.

On July 9th, 2018, Walker’s conditional discharge was revoked, and a sentencing hearing was held for his probation violation and the beating of the Bloomfield man. Walker was convicted on the five felony charges he previously plead guilty to and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. Judge Dean suspended that sentence and instead sentenced him to one year in the county detention center and three years of supervised probation, since he was considered a habitual offender. Walker was given credit for pre-sentence confinement of 251 days and served approximately 115 days in the San Juan County Adult detention center. Judge Dean addressed Walker in court and stated, “I will tell you this, the last thing I want to do is send you to prison. That’s the last thing I want to do.”

The Sheriff’s Office released information regarding this sentencing back in August of 2018, warning the public that Walker could be released from jail, prior to one year from the date he beat the Bloomfield man unconscious with a hammer. Unfortunately, Walker was released from jail again on October 31st, 2018 and could not stay out of trouble. On the night of November 26th, 2018, Detectives with the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a residence on CR 3335 in reference to a battered subject. The male victim identified Robert Tyler Walker as one of the men who attacked him when he realized a group of men were trying to break into his house. Investigators learned that Walker also stole keys to the victim’s vehicle and cameras to his security system. Walker has since been arrested on the charges of aggravated battery, aggravated burglary and larceny. Walker had a no bond hearing today in District Court, where he was held on another probation violation and is currently in custody.

Sheriff Christesen is once again frustrated by the revolving door that our law enforcement officers are continuously dealing with. “As usual, the prosecutors and judges who agreed to this have lost track of why they are there. This person is obviously dangerous and clearly a repeat offender. Walker needs to be put in prison. Law enforcement is extremely busy arresting the same criminals repeatedly. Prosecutors and lenient judges continue to allow these people back on the streets to create more and more victims.” – Sheriff Christesen.