Alamogordo Man Arrested on Federal Bank Robbery Charge

ALBUQUERQUE—Kenneth Morral, 31, of Alamogordo, New Mexico, made his initial appearance in Albuquerque federal court today on a criminal complaint charging him with bank robbery following his arrest in Gallup, New Mexico, by the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office on November 14, 2012.

Morral remains temporarily detained pending a preliminary hearing and a detention hearing, which are scheduled for November 19, 2012, in federal court in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

The criminal complaint charges Morral with robbing the First New Mexico Bank in Hatch, New Mexico, on October 19, 2012.

Three of Morral’s associates, Ricky J. Garcia, 48, and Jacleen Lorraine Henderson, 29, both of Los Lunas, New Mexico; and Kenneth Murray, 30, of Alamogordo, also have been charged in connection with the bank robbery.

Garcia, who was arrested on October 22, 2012, is charged with bank robbery. Henderson and Murray, who were arrested on October 25, 2012 and November 1, 2012, respectively, are charged with being accessories after the fact.

According to court filings, the bank was robbed in the early afternoon of October 19, 2012, by two men, one of whom brandished a handgun.

The men allegedly approached two bank tellers and verbally demanded money. After obtaining money from the tellers, the men departed the bank and drove away in a gray vehicle.

On October 21, 2012, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported to the FBI the discovery of an abandoned car that matched the description of the getaway car.

The FBI later found evidence in the vicinity of the vehicle linking it to the bank robbery. A check of the vehicle’s VIN led investigators to Garcia.

Garcia was arrested the next day after sources identified him as one of the men who perpetrated the bank robbery. Morral was identified as the other bank robber by a source on October 25, 2012.

Court filings allege that Henderson assisted Garcia and Morral in the aftermath of the bank robbery after Garcia’s vehicle broke down by arranging for them to be picked up and by using proceeds of the bank robbery to purchase a vehicle and other items.

According to court filings, Murray allegedly assisted Morral in the aftermath of the robbery by transporting him from Las Cruces to Alamogordo.

Garcia and Henderson are in federal custody pending trial based on findings that each poses a danger to the community and a risk of flight. Murray is on pretrial release on a $10,000 unsecured bond.

If convicted of bank robbery, Garcia and Morral each face a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment. They each face a maximum sentence of 25 years of imprisonment if convicted of armed bank robbery.

If convicted of being accessories after the fact, Henderson and Murray each face up to 10 years of imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Luis A. Martinez and E. Garreth Winstead of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office and was investigated by the FBI and the Hatch Police Department, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office.

Charges in indictments and criminal complaints are only accusations. All criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.