Monica Mares, the mother who had an incestuous relationship with her son, has been arrested again, this time for allegedly breaking into a house in Clovis, New Mexico, on Sunday, August 9. Mares, who was 36 when charged with incest in August 2016, is accused of stealing new kitchen worktops and light fittings, as well as causing a flood by turning on the water, according to the New York Post.
Background of the Incest Case
Mares was just 16 when she gave birth to Caleb Paterson, but within a week she placed him for adoption. For the next two decades, mother and son had zero contact until Caleb tracked down his birth mother using Facebook. They exchanged messages for several weeks before meeting, and Monica confessed to experiencing what she called "crazy" emotions towards her own child. Caleb moved in with his mother before the relationship became intimate.
Details of the Alleged Burglary
When arrested, Mares told police she broke into the house because "she had no place to go, and that the weather, thunder and lightning, gave her headaches," Clovis Police Department Captain Roman Romero told The Post. The property was empty at the time, as the 66-year-old homeowner was away, but a neighbour spotted the alleged break-in and alerted her.
The homeowner's house has been burgled three times in the past three to four months. Virginia Pritchett, the 69-year-old long-time best friend of the homeowner, believes Mares could be behind each burglary. "It's too coincidental," Pritchett told The Post. "The neighbour said she saw the gate wide open in the back, which is what happened before, and she saw a light shining and saw them in the laundry room... They knew exactly where to go."
Criminal History and Reaction
Pritchett said they soon learned of Mares' extensive criminal past. "I've seen articles on Mares; she torched a home and set fire to a backyard while on meth. She's a thief who has broken into homes like my friend's before," Pritchett said. "It seems to me that the justice system is not doing enough to punish this woman. And it just keeps going on. I'm mad as hell at her right now."
Pritchett said her friend is seeking to press charges against Mares, adding, "She needs to be sitting in an institution, wherever that is... I'm going to call the District Attorney and see where this goes." Mares has reportedly had numerous run-ins with the law since her arrest in 2016. She did not spend any time behind bars after pleading no-contest to a fourth degree felony of incest and instead received a sentence of three years of supervised and unsupervised probation.
