Albuquerque police union president arrested on child abuse charges

The president of the Albuquerque Police Officers Association was released from jail on bond overnight after her arrest on child abuse charges Thursday.

Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Aaron Williamson confirmed deputies started an investigation into APOA President Stephanie Lopez, 40, Wednesday and arrested her Thursday.

She faces child abuse without great bodily harm and bribery/intimidation/retaliation of a witness charges.

The criminal complaint for Lopez’s arrest says the alleged abuse happened Tuesday, when Lopez allegedly hit her 14-year-old daughter “repeatedly in the head and facial area.” APD was notified Wednesday.

The girl told school staff Tuesday her mother had hit her in the head and was taken to the school resource officer, who notified CYFD and APD. APD then referred the case to BCSO because of the conflict of interest.

A CYFD investigator briefly interviewed the girl, but the interview was stopped and the girl was taken to a safe house for a forensic interview.

The girl told investigators her mother, Lopez, got upset when the girl failed to tell her a utility shut off notice had been posted to their front door. Lopez allegedly hit her daughter “several times in the face causing significant bruising and pulled her hair before throwing her to the floor,” according to the criminal complaint.

When Lopez dropped her daughter off at school, the criminal complaint says she asked why her daughter “decided not to wear makeup today.” Lopez then allegedly told her daughter, “…think about what you say today at school; you won’t be with me; you won’t have your freedom. What happened to you was your fault.”

The criminal complaint says the daughter was scared to go home for fear of retaliation. It also says the daughter requested that nobody from Lopez’s side of the family be told about the situation “because they will lie for, and cover-up anything that Stephanie does.”

The girl said her younger brother and older sister witnessed the alleged abuse. The criminal complaint says the younger brother confirmed the girl’s account of the incident to the CYFD investigator.

Lopez told investigators should needed to speak to an attorney before speaking with detectives.

Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Tanner Tixier said that as of 8:45 p.m. Thursday, “no one” from APD had read the criminal complaint filed against her or had been briefed on the specifics of the case.

“Any further statements would not be appropriate until we have had the opportunity to thoroughly review the charges,” Tixier said.

Lopez is being held on a $5,000 cash-only bond at the Metropolitan Detention Center. She was booked just after 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

KOB has reached out to the APOA and city for comment, but has not received a reply yet.

This story was originally published at KOB.com