ABQ RAW staff
Posted 5/20/2022 4:30PM
On 5/19/2022, Albuquerque Police Department Aviation Department officer Johnny Garcia was charged with rape of an airport security guard. According to court documents, the alleged incident happened in early December 2021 when the female security guard reported her lost ID. Garcia was able to locate the badge. He was able to contact the supervisor of the security company and insisted on obtaining the victims personal cell phone. The victim states Garcia was insistent on dropping by her residence to return the badge.
The airport policy is to turn lost badges into Access Control or Communication.
On a work cell phone, Garcia called the female victim and wanted a relationship with her. Sometime in January of 2022, Garcia drove the victim to the airport and they consensually kissed.
On February 12th, 2022, the female victim and Garcia were in full department uniforms. They were walking together near a baggage claim area. Officer Garcia opened a closet door and both individuals went inside. Garcia forcefully touched the female areas aggressively. The victim states Garcia unbuttoned his pants. She said no and she attempted to leave the room. He forced himself on the victim and the victim felt she could not leave the room without doing an oral sexual act on Garcia.
The complaint says the female victim was seen leaving the closet area distraught and disoriented.
As the investigation into the rape allegations progressed, Garcia was told not to contact work related persons related to this incident. However he called the victim’s co-workers, supervisors, and other APD officers in an attempt to discredit and intimidate the victim.
Garcia called the victim’s supervisors from a blocked number . The supervisors said he “was agitated, accusatory, and even started to cry when they refused to participate in his efforts to discredit (the woman).”
Garcia said he is married and “was not supposed to be doing that kind of thing with other women.” According to the complaint there had been a previous incident in 2019 where Garcia was “dating” a female clerk at the airport who was also seeing another officer.
Former Sunport Director Nyika Allen commending Officer Garcia
On 4/11/2022, during a Foothills Area Command Community Policing Council Chief Harold Medina took questions from the public. He was taken off guard by Freelance reporter Charles Arasim who asked about an alleged rape investigation involving an APD officer. Chief Medina snapped at the questioner but after and a long pause in a harsh tone Chief Harold Medina reprimanded the citizen by saying “Make sure you know all your facts. Make sure we are able to release information we have been the most transparent administration.”
Garcia is charged with criminal sexual penetration, false imprisonment, and bribery of a witness. He is on unpaid leave from APD and an internal affairs case is ongoing.