VELARDE, N.M. — A volunteer fire chief in New Mexico arrested at the scene of a grass fire in March has been cleared of charges.
Chief Eddie Velarde, of the Velarde Volunteer Fire Department, was charged with obstructing an officer, disorderly conduct and concealing identity. He was exonerated in a bench trial Friday morning, according to The Santa Fe New Mexican.
Sheriff’s Lieutenant Adam Archuleta had accused Chief Velarde of “outrageous behavior” at the March grass fire. But Chief Velarde’s attorney called the arrest “malicious.”
Archuleta arrested Chief Velarde because he was creating “general hysteria at the scene that was doing more harm than good,” according to police reports.
“He was calling for a mass evacuation (of surrounding residents) with all these agencies responding under the false belief that this was a much larger emergency,” said Jake Arnold, a spokesman for Sheriff Tommy Rodella, in March. “Numerous times at the scene, he was yelling about people being trapped when the fire was nowhere near any structure.”
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that attorney Diego Zamora requested and received a directed verdict of not guilty at court Friday without having to call Chief Velarde or any one of numerous firefighters at the incident scene as witnesses.
Zamora said they would have testified they were at the scene of the March fire and saw their chief do nothing wrong.
In June, Zamora served notice to Rio Arriba County that he may file suit on behalf of Chief Velarde for wrongful arrest.