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Articles written by David Grieder - Staff Writer


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  • Portales man faces federal child pornography charge

    David Grieder - Staff writer|Updated Aug 17, 2019

    LBUQUERQUE — A Portales man pleaded not guilty yesterday on a federal charge of production of child pornography. Augustin Gallegos, 34, was indicted last month in U.S. District Court on the charge of "production of a visual depiction of a minor engaging sexually explicit conduct" during a period from March 31, 2018 to May 16, 2019, according to court records. The FBI arrested Gallegos Aug. 7 while he was already in custody on related state charges. Gallegos was indicted May 24 in the 9th Judicial District for first-degree fel...

  • Former pageant director charged with embezzlement

    David Grieder - Staff writer|Updated Aug 10, 2019

    PORTALES — A Roosevelt County rancher was indicted Thursday on 18 felony counts including fraud, embezzlement and racketeering during a three-year period leading the Miss New Mexico Scholarship Organization. Greg Smith, 56, of Elida, was indicted for second-degree felony racketeering during the period Jan. 1, 2015, to Dec. 31, 2017, and a litany of more specific allegations of embezzlement, fraud, issuing worthless checks and attempted tax evasion. Investigators say Smith "stole money from the organization" according to a n...

  • Man charged in Bovina death

    David Grieder - Staff writer|Updated Aug 5, 2019

    BOVINA — Texas Rangers on Monday charged a man with murder for the death of a woman in Bovina. Erica Sanchez, 31, of Bovina, “was killed Monday morning in the city,” according to a news release that night from the Texas Dept. of Public Safety. Michael Orozco, 39, of Muleshoe, “has been charged with murder and is currently in police custody,” said the release from Sgt. Cindy Barkley of the DPS’ Amarillo office. Sanchez is the mother of three children and moved into her residen...

  • No racino: Racing commission declines to award sixth license

    David Grieder - Staff writer|Updated Aug 1, 2019

    ALBUQUERQUE - Regulators wanted to dispell false hopes in announcing today that a sixth racino license would not be awarded, according to the New Mexico Racing Commission's executive director. "The commission felt compelled to not leave false hope out there in the open, to do something that seems more definitive," Izzy Trejo told The News on Thursday afternoon. NMRC's official statement today is that it "has decided not to issue a sixth racing license" and "has left open the possibility of issuing it in the future, but not...

  • Roosevelt sheriff's office investigating fatal shooting

    David Grieder - Staff writer|Updated Jul 29, 2019

    PORTALES — A young man was killed and others were injured in an incident early Saturday at a residence just outside Portales. Derek Garcia turned 24 this month and had "returned home to make his life in his hometown" after being honorably discharged in November 2018 from the U.S. Army, his mother told The News in a message Saturday. Garcia served overseas and completed 38 career jumps in his time as an Army paratrooper after graduating Dora High School in 2014. He is the e...