Inside the Shoplifting Scandal Involving Albuquerque Journal Editor Patrick Ethridge
Patrick Ethridge, the executive editor and vice president of the Albuquerque Journal, found himself at the center of a legal incident on August 24 at a Walmart in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. While self-scanning groceries at the store on Unser Boulevard, Ethridge was approached by officers from the Rio Rancho Police Department after his teenage sons were caught causing trouble elsewhere in the store. They had allegedly knocked over displays and opened Monster energy drinks without paying, leaving the empty cans on shelves.
Ethridge, 47, wearing a motorcycle festival T-shirt with the slogan “Chasin’ Tail Raisin’ Hell,” was escorted by officers and agreed to take his sons to the back office, where Walmart employees showed surveillance footage of their actions. As the situation unfolded, officers monitoring the incident noted that Ethridge appeared to be skipping the scanning of certain grocery items, which led to the discovery of potential shoplifting.
According to the police report, while reviewing footage of the teenage boys, Walmart employees also observed Ethridge “skip-scanning” — placing items in bags after scanning only a portion of them. He was accused of failing to scan several items, including steak and a package of Jack Daniel’s pulled pork.
Officers then approached Ethridge and asked for his driver’s license, informing him that he was being held for shoplifting. Despite his request to pay for the groceries, Walmart staff had already confiscated the unscanned items and opted to press charges. Ethridge and his sons were issued trespassing notices and were told not to return to the store.
Court Appearance and Legal Proceedings
Following the incident, Ethridge was given a summons to appear in Rio Rancho Municipal Court on September 25, where he faced a misdemeanor shoplifting charge. Without legal representation, Ethridge pleaded guilty and received a sentence of 90 days in jail, with 80 days suspended. He was scheduled to be released from the Sandoval County Detention Center on October 5. However, after securing legal counsel, his attorney, Todd J. Bullion, successfully filed a motion to withdraw the plea. Ethridge was released early on October 3.
Bullion, a defense attorney known for representing “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, argued that Ethridge had been distracted by the arrival of police officers confronting his sons and was not intentionally trying to steal. However, surveillance footage reportedly showed Ethridge skipping multiple items during the self-checkout process, raising doubts about his defense.
Resignation from the Albuquerque Journal
On October 4, just over a month after the shoplifting incident, the Albuquerque Journal announced that Ethridge was no longer employed by the paper. In a statement to the staff, publisher William P. Lang acknowledged the situation, saying that the decision to part ways with Ethridge was the “only realistic course of action” given the circumstances.
Ethridge had only been with the Journal for 15 months, having taken over as executive editor and vice president on May 30, 2023. Prior to his role at New Mexico’s largest newspaper, he had spent years working at smaller newspapers in states such as Nebraska, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Iowa.
The Journal is now left to find Ethridge’s replacement. Lang noted that the recent weeks had been “unfortunate and confusing,” and it remains unclear whether an interim editor will be appointed or if a national search will be conducted for a new executive editor.
Personal and Professional Background
Ethridge had no prior criminal record, aside from minor traffic violations, according to court records. He had recently purchased a home in Rio Rancho in August 2023, shortly before the shoplifting incident. Real estate records show that his wife had signed a “Sole and Separate Property Conveyance” on the same day, a legal document indicating that the property would not be divided between the couple in the event of a divorce.
In his short tenure at the Albuquerque Journal, Ethridge introduced several changes, including a newsroom restructuring that added two managing editors and the creation of a position for a “good news” reporter to highlight uplifting stories from the community. His time at the Journal, however, ended abruptly following the Walmart incident and the resulting legal fallout.
Ethridge did not respond to multiple requests for comment, and neither did the Journal’s publisher, William P. Lang. Ethridge’s attorney, Todd Bullion, noted that the guilty plea had been entered before Ethridge had legal representation and stated, “People have a right to have an attorney, so that’s why we sought to withdraw his plea.”
As of Thursday evening, the house Ethridge purchased in Rio Rancho appeared vacant, with no vehicles in the driveway and a lockbox on the front door. The American flag that had previously flown over his collection of motorcycles and off-road vehicles was also missing.