Bond was set at $1 million cash or surety on Wednesday for the suspect who was apprehended during a days-long U.S. Marshals manhunt in Alamosa County near the Blanca Massif. Paul Sandoval was wanted on a nearly five-year-old Alamosa County warrant for felony sexual assault of a child.
On Monday, he refused to appear virtually in court from the Alamosa County Jail and according to public defender Jimy Valenti, Sandoval also refused to meet with him. On Wednesday, public defender David Henderson was also unable to meet with Sandoval, and Sandoval did not appear at the bail hearing.
Henderson said he was able to speak to Sandoval’s sister, who said she was going to discuss power of attorney with Sandoval because he is having problems with “reading, writing, understanding.”
12th Judicial Deputy District Attorney Danielle Beaverson argued on behalf of District Attorney Anne Kelly, saying that Sandoval presented a “grave risk” to the community based on the crime he’s been accused of committing and based on previous charges and a conviction for similar crimes.
According to Beaverson, Sandoval was previously charged with two sexual assaults in New Mexico. She also said Sandoval has escaped from a facility in the past.
The DA’s office argued for Sandoval’s bond to be increased from $7,500 cash or surety to $1 million cash only. Judge Kelly granted that bond, but modified it to include surety.
Sandoval had been wanted “for some time,” Beaverson said, and the manhunt to apprehend him was “quite an ordeal.” Because Sandoval is alleged to have actively evaded law enforcement, the DA’s office argued that Sandoval is a high-risk individual.
In 2021, Sandoval is accused of tying up his girlfriend’s eight-year-old daughter in a shed behind the house in Alamosa County, where “violently” raped her. He had been on the run since then. Recent break-ins of homes and cars on the Blanca massif led the Alamosa County Sheriff’s Office to increase their patrols of the area.
In August, Sandoval was caught on a resident’s security camera. This led the U.S. Marshals Service to become involved. In the weeks prior to the manhunt, Marshals placed game cameras in the area where they were able to confirm Sandoval’s presence and that he was armed with a rifle.
Because Sandoval was armed, the US Marshals elevated the manhunt to expect a potential gunfight. More than 70 officers responded to Alamosa County and took part in the manhunt. This includes the San Luis Valley’s deputized police officers. In early September Alamosa Police Department Detective Joshua Glass and Sergeant Tate Kinshuh, along with Alamosa Sheriff’s Lieutenant William Squires and Sergeant Marshal Dickinson, were sworn in as “Task Force Officers.”
Sandoval was captured at around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. At first, according to the US Marshals, Sandoval refused to comply. So officers deployed “less-lethal means” to arrest him. In his arrest photos, Sandoval can be seen wearing a camouflage jacket. The contingent of Marshals who captured him were wearing full body armor and armed with military-style rifles and equipment.
Alamosa County Court Judge Jason Kelly also issued a protection order for Sandoval, including that he not have any contact “whatsoever” with anyone under the age of 18.
“I do believe he’s a flight risk,” said Judge Kelly.
Sandoval is set to appear in court on Oct. 28 at 1:30 p.m.