Police go to wrong business in search for suspect

FARMINGTON, N.M. – A business owner is looking for answers after the Farmington Police Department made an unexpected visit to his lounge last week.

According to the owner of Three Rivers Brewery, police were looking for a man and somehow confused his lounge with the bistro across the street, leaving his customers and staff confused.

Shortly after 10 p.m. on August 1, around seven police officers entered the brewery, without saying a single word, according to managers who were there that night.

Instead, the officers began searching the building for, Phil McKinney, who is facing charges of domestic violence. Surveillance video shows the police searched throughout the property.

According to one of the managers, when the police finally did inform her of who they were looking for, they were shocked to discover that McKinney owned the bistro across the street.

“I’m telling you, the way the cop looked at me, it’s almost like he didn’t know that, that he owned that building,” Jewel More, Manager at Three Rivers.

The police did find McKinney in his building across the street.

The owners of Three Rivers have sent two letters to the city asking how the police could mix up the two businesses.

In a short statement, Farmington police would only say they were looking for an armed suspect who had just assaulted his wife.