A closer look at violent suspects on GPS monitors

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Albuquerque police are looking for another violent suspect who cut off his GPS ankle monitor on Friday. The department put out a plea to the public on social media, asking for people to keep an eye out for Myzel Hayes.

Hayes is accused of shooting a man eight times last June, and police say he broke free of his monitor Friday.

KOB 4 looked into Hayes’ history, and he’s the fourth suspect in the past eight months in Albuquerque who has cut off his monitor. Now, we’re taking a closer look at how GPS monitoring, used for keeping track of suspected criminals before trial, continues to face criticism from police and other leaders.

Myzel Hayes’ criminal history dates back to 2010. His charges range from DWI, to misdemeanor assault on a police officer and to his most recent crime last June– aggravated battery.

A criminal complaint says he shot a man eight times outside a northwest Albuquerque apartment complex. That man survived the shooting, and a judge let Hayes out on an ankle monitor in August.

Last week, he cut it off, making him the fourth suspect in Albuquerque in the past eight months to do so.

In August, police say murder suspect Trey Bausby cut his off. He was back in jail within days, but leaders aired frustration with the system.

"I can’t stress enough how frustrated the police are, how frustrated my prosecutors are with this system, and we need to get it right. It’s just long past time for us to address this issue," said Bernalillo County District Attorney Raúl Torrez.

A month later, Nathanael Neal cut off his monitor. Documents show Neal had violated other conditions of release in a 2019 stolen vehicle case before a judge put him on house arrest. Court records show he still hasn’t been arrested.

In December, Daniel Drake cut off his monitor just eight days after he got it. He’s been charged with multiple felonies, and spent time on Albuquerque’s Metro 15 offenders list.

APD Chief Harold Medina brought up new concerns at that time about the amount of time and effort it takes for police to get the GPS monitor data.

"The frustrating part is he cuts the ankle bracelet off and we are once again having to go through the loops of producing paperwork and getting subpoenas to get the historical data of where this person was on a GPS monitor over the past few days," said Medina. "We really need people to have a sense of urgency in upgrading their processes and programs to fall more in line with the community needs."

Medina shared concerns again about two weeks ago when police arrested an 18-year-old, on an ankle monitor, accused of selling drugs and guns out of his apartment. They found about 4,000 fentanyl pills and six guns.

"This is exactly why I have been critical of the courts for relying on GPS ankle monitors to keep the public safe from violent suspects," Medina said.

An APD representative says the department is working out details of a new GPS data reporting process, and are thankful for the changes. But there is no timeline on when those changes could be in place.