Albuquerque man charged with raping girl in two NM counties faces charges in Mora County | news

Content Warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual abuse that may be triggering and upsetting for some readers. Discretion is advised.

A 67-year-old Albuquerque man accused of repeatedly raping a girl under the age of 13 now faces rape charges in Mora County.

A warrant was issued Aug. 3 for Reynaldo “Reno” Sandoval following allegations that he raped a girl while camping at Morphy Lake State Park. Sandoval currently faces multiple felony charges in two other counties for allegedly raping the same girl.

In May of last year, Sandoval was indicted by a grand jury in Sandoval County on multiple charges for allegedly raping a girl who is described in court documents as a non-biological granddaughter.

The multiple sexual assaults, including forced sexual intercourse and forced oral sex, happened from January 2016 through January 2020, according to the indictment.

The grand jury indicted him on three counts of criminal sexual penetration of a child under the age of 13 and three counts of criminal sexual contact of an unclothed minor under the age of 13.

One month after the Sandoval County grand jury indictment, in June 2021, a Bernalillo County grand jury indicted Sandoval on four counts of criminal sexual penetration of a child under the age of 13, one count of criminal sexual contact of an unclothed minor under the age of 13, one count of bribery of a witness and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, all felonies.

The sexual assaults in Bernalillo County, which also included forced sexual intercourse, forced oral sex and other inappropriate touching, happened between August 2017 and February 2020, according to the indictment.

New Mexico State Police began investigating Sandoval in February 2020 as police in Albuquerque conducted a parallel investigation according to an affidavit filed Aug. 3 in Mora Magistrate Court.

New charges against Sandoval were filed in Mora County last week following NMSP’s investigation into allegations that Sandoval raped the girl during a camping trip at Morphy Lake.

Prosecutors in Mora County have charged Sandoval with six counts of criminal sexual penetration of a child under the age of 13, and three counts of criminal sexual contact of an unclothed minor under the age of 13.

The recently filed affidavit sheds light on the scope of the ongoing rapes and sexual assaults allegedly carried out by Sandoval for years.

During a safe house interview conducted in Albuquerque in 2020, the girl told investigators that on multiple occasions, and at various locations in at least three New Mexico counties, Sandoval penetrated her, performed unwanted oral sex on her and forced her to perform oral sex on him. The girl also said that on several occasions, Sandoval urinated into her underwear.

The girl told investigators that on every family camping trip they went on, Sandoval would force himself on her. He also forced her into sexual acts at other locations, including the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Albuquerque and at what the girl called his “old house,” according to the affidavit.

In May 2006, a Bernalillo County grand jury indicted Sandoval on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor under the age of 13. The case dragged on for years and went to trial twice, but both trials ended in mistrials. Prosecutors dismissed the charges in April of 2010 following the second mistrial.

In the pending case against Sandoval in Sandoval County District Court, trials had previously been scheduled for October 2021 and again in January 2022, but both were canceled and the case is still moving through the court.

In the Bernalillo County case, Sandoval pleaded not guilty to the charges on July 12 and Bernalillo County District Court Judge Britt Baca-Miller released him without bond. He is scheduled to go on trial in Bernalillo County beginning Oct. 17

Sandoval was not in custody as of this writing and the warrant for his arrest was still active.