Rudy Mares, the father-in-law of former Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano, tells SFR the revelation that Solano was selling county property on eBay was "a complete surprise."
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Mares is one of the people named in a series of search warrants unsealed Wednesday by 9th Judicial District Attorney Matt Chandler, who is handling the Solano case after local DA Angela "Spence" Pacheco conflicted it out.
On Wednesday, Chandler told SFR it could take up to a month before any charges are filed against Solano because of the volume of information collected via the eight now-public warrants.
According to an affidavit filed Dec. 7 in 1st Judicial District Court, Mares told State Police Agent Jesse Williams that "Greg Solano is his son-in-law" and "would have had access to his computer."
Reached at his place of business Wednesday, Mares confirmed that Solano did have access to his laptop. According to a second warrant, Solano used it on July 10 at 9:10 pm to sell one protective vest.
"[Solano] was working on my boat that day that he was here," Mares tells SFR. "I assumed that's the day he used it."
Mares says Solano didn't ask to borrow his computer; indeed, he had no idea his son-in-law was using it to sell county property through eBay.
"There was no conversation whatsoever," Mares tells SFR. "He just picked it up and used it, I guess."
That wasn't the only thing Mares didn't know. He says he had no idea the Solanos were in dire straits financially. When the news came out about Greg Solano's moneymaking scheme on eBay, Mares says, "We were shocked."
Mares adds, "We haven't spoken to [Solano] since this incident, since his resignation."
