Bloomfield Man Charged with Multiple Felonies in Navajo Dam Burglary

Detectives say a home near Navajo Dam and N.M. Highway 511 northwest of Navajo Lake State Park was burglarized on or around June 20, and investigators have arrested a local woman while seeking a male suspect in the case. Court records list Robin Perez, 53, as arrested on charges that include residential burglary, receiving stolen property and possession of a controlled substance. An arrest warrant has been issued for John Hampton, 49.

Court documents list a large pellet stove valued at about $5,000 among the items taken, along with a wooden bench, an inversion table, a coffee table and end tables, white plastic lawn chairs and tables, blankets and picture frames. Detectives recovered several items, including the pellet stove, from Perez’s home on County Road 3181 after she spoke with officers and acknowledged taking items from the residence together with Hampton, the documents say.

Investigators relied on a deputy’s surveillance effort to develop leads. "A San Juan County Sheriff's Office deputy set up his personal game camera on the victim's property in an effort to identify the alleged suspects burglarizing the home, Lincoln said." Detectives reviewed about 282 images from the camera on June 22; the images were taken late the night of June 19 and in the early morning and afternoon of June 20. "One of the detectives immediately recognized Hampton from the photographs and later recognized Perez, according to court documents."

Perez was booked and released from the San Juan County Adult Detention Center on a $10,000 unsecured bond and "did not have legal representation as of this afternoon, according to court records." Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8 a.m. Thursday in Aztec Magistrate Court. The arrest warrant for Hampton remains outstanding in the records available.

A separate local item characterizes a "Bloomfield man" as facing multiple felony charges in a burglary near Navajo Dam, but that account did not identify the man by name in the available text and could not be reconciled with the court records that name Perez and Hampton. Reporting and court filings reviewed for this article rely on law enforcement statements and arrest-warrant affidavits.

The case highlights several community concerns for San Juan County residents. The theft of a pellet stove and other household items can carry immediate public health consequences during colder months for rural households that rely on such appliances for heat. The possession-of-a-controlled-substance charge tied to Perez also points to intersections between criminal enforcement and substance use issues that health and social-service providers contend with daily. For small, dispersed communities such as those around Navajo Lake and Navajo Dam, the reliance on deputies and informal surveillance methods underscores both the resource challenges and the heavy burden placed on local law enforcement.

For people directly affected, the next steps are legal: Perez’s preliminary hearing in Aztec Magistrate Court and the status of the arrest warrant for Hampton. For the wider community, local officials and service providers may need to consider emergency support for vulnerable households and continued attention to both public safety and substance use treatment access as the case moves through the courts.