Interrogation of Armed Felon Police Impersonator Daniel A. Mitchem

Albuquerque, NM — Daniel A. Mitchem is no Jeremy. On February 8, 2020, officers of the Albuquerque Police Department Auto Theft Unit had deployed a City-owned white Chevy Tahoe as a bait car. The operation was active in the area of 810 Copper Avenue NW, and the Tahoe was being electronically monitored with audio and video recording devices as well as GPS.

An APD detective who was present in an undercover capacity was walking toward the bait car when he was approached by a male wearing a red flannel shirt, blue jacket, and black jean pants. The detective stated that the male subject “took a step backwards while pushing his jacket away from the right side of his hip and placed his right hand on a camouflage firearm that was secured in his waistband area.”

According to the detective, the male subject identified himself as a member of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department. In turn, the detective identified himself as a member of the Albuquerque Police Department. The male responded out of protocol: he immediately hopped into the bait car and fled the scene at high speed. Clever.

Detectives from APD’s Auto Theft Unit located the vehicle in the area of 13th Street SW and Rio Avenue SW, where they observed the male subject outside of the vehicle attempting to conceal something near the area of the vehicle’s spare tire.

The male subject saw the detectives, got back into the vehicle, and drove off once again at a high rate of speed. Detectives were ultimately able to contact and detain the male as he pulled up to the front of a residence on the 800 block of Pacific Avenue SW. It was there that detectives identified their subject as Daniel A. Mitchem and observed that his belt was undone on its right side, and that the belt itself was out of Mitchem’s pant loops. Mitchem was advised of his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with the police.

During the field interview that followed, Mitchem mostly-admitted to having identified himself as a Sheriff’s Deputy, and he freely admitted to being a felon, claiming ignorance that the gun was real. Mitchem told detectives that he had disposed of the firearm underneath the white Tahoe in the area of its rear bumper, and the gun was promptly recovered. The Springfield 9mm with a magazine containing 13 live rounds was far from fake.

A criminal history query of Daniel A. Mitchem found that he had three previous felony cases that had resulted in convictions, including aggravated 2nd degree murder, aggravated armed robbery, tampering with evidence, escape from a penitentiary, and conspiracy to bring contraband into a prison. All in New Mexico.

On March 10, 2020 a Grand Jury delivered a federal indictment of Daniel A. Mitchem for one count of 18:922(g)(1) Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, and one count of 18:922(j) Possession of a Stolen Firearm. Mitchem is currently in custody pending trial, which is now set for June 15, 2020.

This video shows the interrogation of Daniel Mitchem. It was released on Patreon five days ago.

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