Ex-Officer Pleads Guilty To Stealing From Newlyweds

Former El Paso Police Officer Alberto Madrid was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery for stealing money and gift cards while working security at a wedding reception in October.

Madrid entered his plea in the 171st District Court on Friday morning.

Madrid resigned last November lieu of termination. The El Paso Police Department was in the process of firing Madrid.

Madrid was an 18-year veteran of the El Paso Police Department who earned $66,329 a year, according to public records. He was a sergeant who was assigned to the West Side Regional Command Center.

The El Paso Police Department said Madrid was working as an off-duty security officer for the reception at Bebe’s Hall when the incident occurred in early October.

According to a police affidavit, Madrid was seen leaving the hall with the gift box and he returned empty-handed. He then drove to a parking lot across the event hall. Several relatives of the wedding party followed Madrid to ask him about the missing money.

One of the witnesses, Jose “Joey” Zaragoza, along with several family members, attempted to talk to Madrid, but he refused to talk to them, according to the affidavit.

Zaragoza said days after the incident that Madrid then accelerated his truck toward him and his brother.

“I pushed my brother out of the way, and I didn’t have time to get out of the way so I jumped up and got on top of the truck,” Zaragoza said.

Another witness, who did not want to be identified, said Madrid drove away from the parking lot onto Vista del Sol. He said Zaragoza was holding on to the top of Madrid’s truck for about a mile and a half at a high speed and Zaragoza was “dangling left and right, trying to hold on.”

Zaragoza was finally thrown off the the truck’s hood at the intersection of Vista de Oro, the affidavit stated. He was taken to an area hospital for his injuries and is now recovering from a concussion.

Viviana Macias, owner of Bebe’s Hall, said Madrid worked with the hall for at least eight years. She said he has always been professional, and there were never any complaints against him.

Madrid has avoided jail time on three other occasions throughout his career. According to county records, in 2002 Madrid was charged with misdemeanor assault. That charge was dismissed for lack of evidence.

Madrid has also been charged with two DWIs: one in 2002 and another in 2006. He was cleared one of the DWIs by attending a pretrial program.