Police nab high profile thief

Posted at: 02/26/2010 11:04 AM | Updated at: 02/26/2010 5:10 PM
By: Reed Upton, KOB.com

Michael Candelaria

The man the City of Albuquerque calls its top property crime fugitive is behind bars Friday, after his mug shot was featured all over town.

After being tazered Friday morning by U.S. Marshals, Michael Candelaria was booked into jail for the 30th time.

His mug shot was featured on billboards all over Albuquerque as one of the city's "Top Property Crime Offenders."

He was caught Friday morning walking out of a North Valley home near 2nd and Delamar following 27 hours of surveillance.

U.S. Marshal Gordon Eden described the arrest, "He squared off in boxing manner with the deputies who were trying to arrest him. They engaged him, he continued resisting arrested and end up having to be tasered."

Candelaria has been wanted since January for fraud, forgery and ID theft of hundreds of victims.

Candelaria's arrest marks another in a series of takedowns of Albuquerque's most wanted property crime criminals.

Mayor Richard Berry says Candelaria's arrest means a safer city, because Candelaria has been involved in three past pursuits with APD.

Berry says the billboard with Candelaria's mug shot will now read "Captured." Marshal Eden said of the arrest, "Whenever you hear somebody say 'Hey, it's just a property crime offender,' be well aware of the fact that people like Michael Candelaria put our people— our friends in danger as long as they're out on the streets."

Candelaria is the 33rd featured property crime to be arrested since the city launched the campaign.

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