Journal Editor Patrick Ethridge

At first it seemed like satire. ABQ Journal editor Patrick Ethridge had been jailed for ten days for shoplifting at a Walmart super center in Rio Rancho. 

"Yeah right," the politicos opined as they rolled their eyes. 

But it turned out to be true and since the Journal is the largest newspaper in the state the incident raised questions about how the paper handled the bizarre affair while asserting it was doing so with "transparency." 

Ethridge, 47, was shopping with his two sons August 24 when Walmart surveillance video showed them "acting disorderly" including opening energy drinks and then placing them back on the shelf. 

When Ethridge went to check out the store says he failed to scan a number of items. When confronted, he offered to pay but Walmart wasn't buying and he was busted on a charge of shoplifting of $100 or less.

But what really dumbfounded La Politica was what happened last Wednesday and disclosed by the Journal in their Saturday edition. Ethridge pleaded guilty to the charge before Rio Rancho Municipal Court Judge  Robert Cook and was sentenced to an astonishing 10 days behind bars for the petty misdemeanor. 

The editor was hauled off to the Sandoval County Detention Center and, according to jail records, was taken into custody at 10:17 a.m. Wednesday morning. 

WHY JAIL TIME?

Court records consulted for us by attorneys show Ethridge has no prior offenses or arrests in the short time he has been in New Mexico. He took over the editor's post in May 2023, coming here from Nebraska. But locked up for ten days it was.

One of our Legal Beagles offers a plausible explanation for the judge throwing the book (or the newspaper, if you prefer)) at editor Ethridge:

Joe, on it's face that sentence is unusual. If he didn’t have prior offenses, then he probably got belligerent with Walmart’s loss prevention officers. I would guess there is a good possibility the latter is the case as Walmart tends to hire ex-cops who take umbrage at anyone who doesn’t immediately go belly up. Also, unlike a lot of other retail places, Walmart has some fairly strict policies about no concessions on pleas , and if a “victim," even one represented by only an officer present, the courts will get input from them on sentencing.

Under New Mexico law, a petty misdemeanor is punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a $500 fine.

Ethridge, according to the Journal, did offer to pay for the items he failed to scan, claiming he did not know he was not scanning them but that wasn't enough to prevent him from being arrested.

HEAT OVER TRANSPARENCY 

William P. Lang

So that's how the case came down but how did the shoplifting arrest of the top editor of the Journal stay secret for so long--from August 24 until last Friday when the Journal reported the incident and with publisher/owner William P. Lang, declaring:

We don’t know or understand all the details yet, but were shocked to learn that he has been charged with shoplifting and sentenced by a Municipal Judge in Rio Rancho, where he is currently serving ten days. At the Albuquerque Journal, we believe in being transparent, and holding people to a higher standard, including ourselves. We appreciate your support and concern, and will report more information when it is clear to us.”

Ethridge has not been fired from the paper but placed on a leave of absence.

But attorney Greg Payne, a former state legislator, ABQ city councilor and veteran political analyst who has tangled with the paper in the past, isn't letting Lang and the Journal off the hook:

I mean, if this involved a state representative that no one knew--and who also didn’t run the largest newspaper in New Mexico--the Journal would’ve covered the fact that he or she had been charged.  And if that same elected official had managed to hide the charge from the Journal prior to attempting to enter a very hush-hush guilty plea, the Journal would make that elected official pay twice for it. Did the editor of the paper hide his charge from his employer? If he did, and the Journal didn’t find out until Friday, why wouldn’t they fire him for that?

Payne wasn't the only one piling on. State House Majority Whip Rene Szczepanski scorched the Journal on Twitter, asking: 

The arrest happened over a month ago. Why is it just being reported now?

The Journal has been merciless on the House Democratic leadership over the ABQ crime crisis, putting the blame at their doorstep in scathing editorials, some authored by a writer imported from Hobbs, the most conservative region of the state. Now it's payback time as the Journal deals with its own criminal activity by its most important employee. Will there be an editorial about that?

THE ETHRIDGE SIDEBAR

The editor is being represented by noted criminal defense attorney Todd Bullion who was co-counsel with Jason Bowles recently as they defended Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer on the movie set of Rust. Bullion's office is near Journal Center on Lang Avenue which is named after the Lang family that has owned the newspaper since 1926.

Ethridge replaced Karen Moses as editor.  The top salary listed for the job was advertised at $120,000 which we pointed out at the time seemed low for a large metro paper. But the Journal and other dailies have struggled financially to attract advertisers in the internet era. 

Ethridge came to ABQ from the Beatrice Daily News, a town with a population of only 12,000, according to the census. For him his move here was a trip into the big time. Now, unfortunately for him, he is doing some hard time--Rio Rancho style. 

KALTENBACH CREDENTIALS

Kaltenbach

Several readers pointed out that while we concentrated on Emily Kaltenbach's role in legalizing marijuana in New Mexico as head of the Drug Policy Alliance, we did not mention her experience in the areas covered by the state Department of Aging and Long-Term Services. MLG appointed her as the new secretary for the agency and here's that experience from the official news release:

Kaltenbach brings more than two decades of leadership in public policy, health care reform, and advocacy, as well as a strong track-record of advancing services for older adults (and) individuals with disabilities. . . Her extensive background also includes leadership positions at the Aging and Long Term Services Department and in the New Mexico Office of Health Care Reform, where she contributed to significant policy reforms benefiting older adults and people of all ages with disabilities. Kaltenbach holds a master’s in health care administration and has served on multiple boards dedicated to public health, cannabis regulation, and community safety. Her leadership in health care reform and social justice issues makes her uniquely positioned to lead ALTSD as it navigates the challenges facing the state’s growing aging population. 

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