Former Sandoval County Sheriff’s deputy Doug Wood, who lost the 2006 sheriff’s election to John Paul Trujillo, is calling for Trujillo to resign. Wood, who has announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Sandoval County Sheriff in 2010, says the administration mismanaged the events that led to the recent death of Sgt. Joe Harris.

Trujillo can’t run because of term limits and Undersheriff Tim Lucero is rumored to run for the position on the Democrat side, but he has not officially announced yet.

“It is unfortunate that Sheriff John Paul Trujillo and Undersheriff Tim Lucero (along with the rest of the sheriff’s upper-level administration) do not take their oath as seriously; if they had, Joe would most likely still be with us today,” Wood wrote in a letter to the Rio Rancho Observer. “When this tragic incident occurred on July 16, 2009, the sheriff’s administration immediately proceeded to minimize and downplay the true violent nature of Joseph H. Burgess by stating that Burgess had never done anything prior to this which would indicate that he possessed such a nature.” Burgess, known before the incident on July 16 only as the “cookie bandit,” is the man law enforcement says is responsible for the death of Harris.

Harris was shot and killed July 16 in a shootout in a cabin in La Cueva, in the Jemez Springs area, while on an undercover investigation with Deputy Theresa Moriarty.

It wasn’t until after the shootings, in which Burgess also died, that his true identity was revealed. He was believed to have been burglarizing homes and cabins in that part of the county since 1998. He was also killed in the shootout. Burgess had eluded apprehension until his confrontation with Harris and Moriarty.

Lucero said the sheriff’s office has been actively involved in the burglary cases since he and Trujillo assumed the offices in 2003.

“Doug Wood was a part of the Sandoval County Sheriff’s administration from 1998 to 2002. During that administration, the burglary of cabins was reported and that administration took no action whatsoever to investigate the cases,” Lucero said. “Since 2003, the sheriff’s office has actively and diligently worked on these cases managing many operations to solve the burglaries.”

Lucero said the sheriff’s office tried several different investigations to apprehend the “cookie bandit,” but none was successful.

“We knew at this point that police officers being up there with any type of badge were not working,” he said. “We decided to put an undercover operation together. Joe and Theresa went undercover, lived in that area and started to converse with people in that area. In five weeks of undercover, they gathered more information about this person and his habits than we have since (we began in) 2003.”

Wood wrote in his letter that Trujillo executed the stakeout knowing that the operation was contrary to and directly against established proper police operations and there was not a secondary contingency plan.

“Due to his display of incompetence, blatant deceit, and lack of care and safety for his own officers, Sheriff Trujillo should immediately resign his position,” Wood wrote. “Undersheriff Lucero, who has been hiding silently behind Sheriff Trujillo’s cloak for seven years now, would be in line to assume the position. Since Lucero has stood by Sheriff Trujillo in silent compliance while having complete intimate knowledge of everything (both past and present) that has occurred and because he has not once displayed the moral courage to stand up as a leader and intervene, he should be denied that opportunity.”

Lucero said it’s easy to criticize after the fact.

“It was easy for Doug Wood to sit back and do nothing when he had the opportunity and it’s obvious that it’s very easy for him to sit back and criticize our actions after the fact,” Lucero said. “If Doug Wood had any respect for Sergeant Joe Harris and his family, he would only speak after knowing the true facts.”

Lucero said the sheriff’s office is conducting an administrative investigation and is working with the New Mexico State Police in the investigation of the shooting.

“Rather than using this highly unfortunate situation for political posturing, which Mr. Wood appears to attempt, the New Mexico State Police and the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office will continue the investigations on the case,” Lucero said. “Upon completion of both investigations, the facts of the case will be released.”

Wood wrote that Burgess’ known propensity for violence had been quashed by the SCSO administration by dubbing Burgess as the cookie bandit.

“The SCSO stated that Burgess would merely break into people’s homes and steal nothing more than food and clothing,” Wood wrote. “As the true facts became publicized, we then learned of Burgess’ extensive sadistic criminal past. It is conceded that the SCSO had no knowledge of Burgess’ prior homicidal actions, but now it is known that the SCSO was aware of the two previously reported separate incidents involving two Jemez-area residents who reported that they had been threatened by Burgess with a deadly weapon.”

Burgess was wanted for a double murder in Canada in 1972 and was a suspect in the 2004 deaths of a Northern California couple.

Lucero disagrees with Wood’s comments.

“We never named him the cookie bandit,” he said. “We picked up that name from people who reported the burglaries because in the very beginning that’s what he took. He had a big liking for cookies, sweets and alcohol.”

Wood said the sheriff’s office knew of previous dangerous incidents with the cookie bandit.

“He actually knew that the cookie bandit had tried to kill someone when he made the explicit decision to send the two deputies into that cabin alone, without a backup team,” Wood said. “He knew this because of the previously reported incidents by the residents in the area, and he knew this from the previous covered-up shooting of Reserve Deputy Luke Dienlin.”

Lucero said the only incident the department knew of someone being physically threatened by Burgess was in 2000 when Burgess brandished a firearm to a fire chief.

As for the Dienlin case, the shooter was never identified, Lucero said.

According to a SCSO report, Dienlin was shot at around 3 a.m. on Nov. 28, 2008, but he didn’t file a report until Dec. 1. Dienlin couldn’t be reached for comment.

“Wood doesn’t know the facts. It’s clear from our statement that the shooter never was identified,” Lucero said. “He assumed it was the cookie bandit, but our investigation never showed if it was or not. I don’t know if it was the cookie bandit that shot at this reserve deputy or not. That’s why it wasn’t a big press release; we don’t know if it was him who shot the reserve deputy.”

Lucero said if Dienlin was shot, he should have immediately reported it.

“Someone in law enforcement should report it immediately,” Lucero said. “If he had showed up that night, we would have had a massive manhunt put in place.”

As for Harris and Moriarty knowing the dangers of the cookie bandit, Lucero said the Dienlin and fire chief incidents were relayed to the deputies.

“I personally know that Sgt. Harris was briefed on every incident,” Lucero said. “He was aware of what occurred with the fire chief back in 2000 and he was fully briefed and aware of every incidence, including the Dienlin incident and all the facts of that incident. He was also aware of a lot of other things.”