Carlsbad school ordered to 'shelter-in-place' as SWAT arrest suspects nearby
Police tactical teams entered a home Tuesday morning in the 700 block of Hickory Street, arresting two men who had warrants for kidnapping and robbery.
Robert Cain Williams, 41, was arrested for first-degree kidnapping, armed robbery and failing to appear in court. Daniel Mauzey faced charges of receiving, transporting or possession of firearms or destructive devices as a felon, along with failing to pay a fine.
The men were arrested at about 9 a.m. after police observed Williams standing outside a home in the area and confirmed his pending criminal charges as the suspect entered the house.
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Police requested via a loudspeaker that he and anyone else in the home exit, but no one came out, said Capt. Jessie Rodriguez with the Carlsbad Police Department.
That’s when Eddy County Region SWAT team agents broke into the house. Inside they found the two men; a third person located inside who did not have any active warrants was released.
Rodriguez said Williams and Mauzey were arrested without further incident, and additional charges could be filed amid the ongoing investigation.
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He said police decided the “breach” the home due to the known criminal history of the men arrested.
Investigators also found more than $30,000 in cash, read a Carlsbad Police Department news release, along with about 20 guns and several rounds of ammunition. Many of the guns were discovered to be stolen.
“That was a lot of guns,” Rodriguez said. “It’s definitely more than a person with their criminal history should possess.”
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Local school ordered to ‘shelter-in-place’ amid SWAT response
During the operation, police placed the nearby Carlsbad Intermediate School, also known as PR Leyva, on a brief shelter-in-place order.
That means students were kept in classrooms, and not allowed out onto campus, Rodriguez said.
“Because of proximity and distance (of the incident), a shelter-in-place was appropriate,” he said.
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Shelter-in-place orders are meant to keep students in secure spaces like classrooms without disrupting classes, he said, compared with a full lockdown when no one is allowed in or out of the campus, doors are locked and lights are turned off.
“You don’t ever want to put people in a panic,” Rodriguez said. “When it comes to schools and young people, these are very sensitive topics. We take into consideration the interruption this causes and the impacts on daily life. Safety first, but we also don’t want to interrupt operations at the school.”
Suspect stole truck with man inside who he robbed, police say
Williams was first charged with kidnapping and robbery on Jan. 27, 2023 when police said he stole a truck in the 300 block of Pike Street. A passenger was inside the vehicle when Williams allegedly stole it.
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The man told police Williams got into the vehicle and saw him in the back seat but drove off anyway to a location near Parker Street. That’s where Williams pointed a gun at the man, police said, and told him to empty his pockets. Williams stole the man’s wallet, cellphone and backpack, read a criminal complaint.
He then told the man to get out of the car, police said, and a group of people wearing masks allegedly appeared and began kicking and punching the man before getting into a white Chevy Malibu and driving away. Williams drove off in the truck, police said.
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The man identified Williams as he told police he knew him “all his life,” read the complaint, and gave police a description of Williams as bald, with tattoos, a scruffy beard and “very little teeth.”
Records show Williams was charged with several crimes dating back to 2008 and ranging from drug possession to assault and possessing firearms as a felon.
He pleaded guilty to a felony count of possession of a controlled substance in 2008, records show. He then pleaded no contest and was convicted in December 2010 of aggravated fleeing from police, possession of a firearm by a felon, receiving a stolen firearm and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Williams was also convicted of aggravated assault and possessing a firearm as a felon again in January 2015. He was charged with two more counts of felon in possession of a firearm in February 2021.
Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Carlsbad school ordered to shelter-in-place during SWAT activity
