Matthew Reisen
Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
(TNS)
Aug. 30—Two Albuquerque firefighters, and one who recently retired from the department, were charged Wednesday afternoon in the rape of a woman last month following a golf tournament.
Aden Heyman, 46, Angel Portillo, 32, and Anthony Martin, 44, are charged with criminal sexual penetration in the July 15 incident.
Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque police spokesman, said all three men were arrested Wednesday night and booked into jail.
Albuquerque Fire Rescue spokesman Lt. Jason Fejer said Heyman is a lieutenant, Portillo is a firefighter and Martin, who recently retired, was a driver with the department.
A woman, who has a relative in a leadership position at AFR, alleged Heyman coached the other two men as they gang raped her at Martin’s home following a day of drinking and golfing.
Fejer said Heyman and Portillo are on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
AFR Chief Emily Jaramillo said the department was made aware of the case in July “and took immediate steps to launch an internal investigation.”
“The allegations were alarming and we determined a thorough investigation was necessary to determine the facts,” Jaramillo said in a statement. “We are fully cooperating with APD investigators and treat these allegations seriously. Now that criminal charges have been filed in court, we will respect the judicial process and refrain from commenting on details of the case.”
Heather LeBlanc, Portillo’s attorney, said her client “adamantly maintains his innocence in this matter.”
“As a respected firefighter in our community, he has dedicated his life to helping others,” LeBlanc said in a statement. “He is fully aware of the gravity of these charges and has fully cooperated with law enforcement in the ongoing investigation. We will be vigorously defending against these allegations to ensure that the truth prevails.”
Ben Ortega, Martin’s attorney, said the three were being falsely accused and said — without elaborating — the woman was a drug user who is “not credible.”
“As far as I’m concerned, none of these three men did anything wrong and now their careers as firefighters will be tarnished by these allegations,” he said, adding that he is looking forward to fighting the case in court.
Jason Bowles, Heyman’s attorney, said his client “has committed no crime and is innocent of these charges.”
None of the men agreed to speak to police, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, although Heyman at one point said he would.
Allegations
Officers responded around 11 p.m. to the Villas apartment complex on Menaul, near Broadway, after a couple found a woman curled up and crying outside by the swimming pool.
Police said the woman told them Heyman, Portillo and Martin raped her and she escaped through a bathroom window. She initially refused to do a sexual assault exam but agreed two days later.
The woman told police her sister is a lieutenant at AFR and introduced Portillo and Martin to her, according to the complaint. She said they agreed to play in the golf tournament with her and drank throughout the day.
Police said the woman told them, afterward, they went to Martin’s apartment where they “were swimming, laughing and having fun.” She said when Heyman joined them “the energy shifted.”
The woman told police her memory “began to fade” and she came to with the men holding her down as they took turns raping her, according to the complaint. The woman said she was “terrified” and Heyman was “instructing the other two” and “coaching them.”
Police said the woman told them she made an excuse that she had to use the restroom and then climbed out the window.
The woman told police that her sister did not want to be involved and felt she had been put in “an awkward position at work,” according to the complaint. Police searched the phone records of the men and found messages from them to the woman’s sister, their coworker, days after the alleged rape.
Police said Portillo messaged the woman’s sister that he was “upset with” himself and “one thing led to another and alcohol influenced questionable decisions.” Heyman also messaged the sister, according to police, saying he wanted to talk and was sorry if he lost her trust but cared about her “a tremendous amount.”
On July 18, Heyman messaged Martin, “I don’t think she wants people knowing about it” and Martin replied “I would hope it doesn’t get out unless the worst happens or we mention it. Which I wont’ ever,” according to the complaint.
Police said Heyman responded “I’ll never say a word about it to anyone and I’m sure (Portillo) is on the same page.”
On Aug. 7, according to police, Heyman Google searched “how long does dna stay in vagina.”
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