Alleged spaceship theft fails at lift-off

A felon and a convicted child rapist are facing theft charges after they were allegedly caught trying to steal a "spaceship" from a neighbour's yard. Arturo Evan Cadena, 22, allegedly told a Do-a Ana sheriff's investigator he "was going to take the spaceship home for his child," according to court documents.



Cadena, who lives in Chamberino, had originally offered to pay 47-year-old Richard Chavez to help him clean the property and load trash in his truck, but then decided to ask Chavez to help him steal the battered aluminum craft from the rental property, on the 400 block of County Line Drive in Chaparral.

Assistant District Attorney Scot Key said the former amusement park ride, worth $4,000 to $5,000, is believed to be from the '50s or '60s, and "heavier than all get go." An anonymous tipster witnessed Cadena and Chavez loading sheets of steel and the dilapidated spaceship into a red truck on Oct. 7, according to court documents. When confronted, the two allegedly threw the metal and the spaceship back over the fence and fled.



Chavez ultimately admitted to the sheriff's investigator that "he was aware of Art's intentions (in) taking the space ship and failed to report the incident," court documents state. Key said while the crime is "probably the most unusual metal theft that we've had in the last few years," it might make a difficult exhibit in court, adding, "I don't want to have to carry it in the courtroom."