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Alamogordo Lawyer Faces Suspension

An Alamogordo lawyer has been suspended for two years for breaking into the home of a divorce client's estranged husband and taking their baby.

The Albuquerque Journal reports the Supreme Court this week suspended 61-year-old Raymond Van Arnam.

Van Arnam's story gained national attention in 2011 when a video showing him breaking down the back door of the home his client had just moved out of and taking her 3-week-old baby went viral. The video also shows Van Arnam embracing the woman.

Chief Disciplinary Counsel William Slease said Van Arnam abandoned the rule of law, and the woman could have hired a thug off the street for the same result.

Van Arnam's lawyer says his empathetic client got carried away by the moment.

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Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.