Man arrested on suspicion of break-in at midtown campus

Victoria Traxler, The Santa Fe New Mexican
·2 min read

Mar. 16—Santa Fe police say a man broke into one of the buildings at the city-owned midtown campus Monday and stole a number of items, including keys to a car and other city buildings.

According to a criminal complaint filed in the Santa Fe County Magistrate Court, Bradford Kingsley, 57, has been charged with one count of burglary and one count of trespassing after officers spoke with him at a homeless encampment in the area and found several stolen items in his possession.

The city purchased the 64-acre former College of Santa Fe campus on St. Michael's Drive in 2009 and leased it to a private firm to operate the Santa Fe University of Art and Design until that institution shut down in 2018. Since then, officials have been planning for a massive, years-long redevelopment of the property. Earlier this year, however, the master developer selected for the project terminated negotiations, citing in part the poor condition of some campus buildings.

The project's delays have raised concerns among city officials about the continuing costs of the deteriorating property, which has drawn transient people, according to the criminal complaint.

Police responded to a call at 8:30 p.m. Monday about a break-in at the site after an employee noticed a door and window to an office were left open, the complaint said.

The worker found items missing, such as clothing, an antique toolbox and various keys.

Another employee described the missing keys to police, saying they were for facilities at the city's "Siringo complex," the train depot, the Monica Roybal Youth Center, the midtown property and a blue Impala.

The employees said there was a homeless camp near the area and "they have been having issues with the homeless population."

Officers viewed security footage that captured a man entering the building around 7 p.m. that day. They spoke with two people at the nearby homeless camp and encountered Kingsley, who looked like the person in the footage and had a previous warrant out for his arrest, the complaint said.

According to the document, Kingsley was in possession of keys that had been stolen from the building.

He was arrested and booked into the Santa Fe County jail.

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