ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A man accused of killing his girlfriend in Socorro County in 2022 was arrested during a law enforcement operation in Albuquerque Monday.
Agents with the New Mexico State Police Crime Suppression Bureau arrested Dennis Wallace, 58, during Operation Route 66. According to a news release from NMSP, agents ran the registration of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and the check confirmed Wallace, the registered owner, had an outstanding warrant for murder.
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Agents followed the motorcycle to an apartment complex on Carlisle Boulevard and confirmed Wallace was the driver. After he entered the apartment, agents obtained a search warrant to enter the residence and arrest Wallace, NMSP said.
According to court documents, Wallace killed his girlfirend Karen Brown, and is facing first-degree murder, tampering evidence, and extreme cruelty to animals charges. Investigators believe Wallace hit Brown in the head with an aluminum baseball bat at their home in San Marcial. Brown she died on Aug. 17, 2022.
Wallace is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Operation Route 66 is a joint effort between the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office, New Mexico State Police, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and the New Mexico Corrections Department’s Probation and Parole Division to combats crime along Central Avenue.