Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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Gov. Susana Martinez will have three candidates to chose from when deciding who will replace retiring District Court Chief Judge Teddy Hartley following a sometimes dramatic session Friday of a special judicial nominating commission. The candidates picked by the panel include former two-term Clovis City Commissioner and assistant district attorney Fred Van Soelen, Assistant District Attorney Brian Stover and Portales attorney Wesley Pool. The names of the three finalists were revealed in a motion by Portales attorney Randy...
A Clovis couple was convicted of bilking the Air Force of $6.5 million Thursday by a federal jury in San Antonio, Texas. Donald Dean Brewer and his wife Sherri Lynn Brewer, both age 62, face 20 years in federal prison and are being forced to repay more than $6 million, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman. Also convicted in the month-long trial was James McKinney, 60, of San Antonio. The Brewers are the former owners of Brewer Jeep and Brewer Mitsubishi in Clovis. Prosecutors charged that McKinney...
Clovis may be in the running for New Mexico's sixth and only remaining racino gambling license, though it's likely the drama may drag out another month. Paul Stout, a rancher and wind energy entrepreneur, confirmed Wednesday that he represents a client interested in the racino license and has looked at property near the city. Additionally, City Manager Joe Thomas confirmed Wednesday that a national gaming concern had contacted his office within the last year to express an interest in locating a racino in or near Clovis. The... Full story
A Clovis teen is dead, two other men are recovering and police arrested two suspects within hours after a party in Clovis erupted into a violent showdown early Saturday at a house near 14th and Reid streets. CNJ staff photo: Tony Bullocks The home at 14th and Reid where three men were stabbed Saturday when an early morning party erupted in gunfire. A 17-year-old died of stab wounds and two men ages 20 and 23, where hospitalized for non-life threatening stab wounds, according...
A masked man in a green hooded sweatshirt robbed New Mexico Bank and Trust branch in the Hilltop Plaza about 11 a.m. Thursday, according to Clovis police. A press release from police indicated a man entered the bank, demanded money, and escaped on foot. "Officers searched the surrounding neighborhood and spoke to numerous citizens in the area, but the suspect was not located," according to a press release. "The suspect is described as being a light skinned male possibly in his...
School lunches, county seniors, Clovis airport and Cannon Air Force Base could all suffer if Congress fails to reach a budget agreement by the sequester deadline Friday. The problem for most in charge of the programs or institutions locally is trying to gauge just how hard they will be hit if sequestration becomes reality. During a speech Wednesday in Washington, President Barack Obama warned the looming budget cuts could hurt a slowly reviving national economy. Obama acknowledged many people may not immediately notice the...
Mary Apodaca just wants all the violence to end. Apodaca, 73, is a victim in the first of two drive-by shootings that have exploded in Clovis neighborhoods this week. CNJ staff photo: Robin Fornoff Mary Apodaca, 73, said she hopes police can end the violence. Her home was riddled with bullets Tuesday — the first of two drive-by shootings in as many days that have exploded in Clovis neighborhoods. Apodaca said the house in the 1200 block of North Lea Street that she has called...
A shortage of beef blamed on the worst drought in a half century will likely mean higher prices at the supermarket checkout across eastern New Mexico. CMI photo: Tony Bullocks Rancher and farmer Frank Blackburn stands in a pen Friday with his severly reduced herd. As many ranchers across eastern New Mexico, Blackburn has been forced to reduce his herd because of the ongoing drought. Experts predict at least a 10 percent hike in retail beef prices during the year. That's...
A Portales man accused of drunken driving will not face charges after a district court judge admonished an assistant district attorney for "judge shopping," court records show. Assistant 9th Judicial District Attorney Matthew Andrasko says it's all a misunderstanding. He said he took a felony drunken driving case dismissed by one judge to another court because he has compelling new evidence for a lesser misdemeanor charge. The lesser charge is routinely handled by magistrate court, not district court. But District Court...
Schools in Clovis and Portales saw extra police presence Friday after rumors posted on Facebook and other social media spawned concern about possible shootings. Clovis Police Chief Steve Sanders said his officers along with Curry County Sheriff's deputies and New Mexico State Police officers stepped up patrols and presence at three schools: Clovis High School, Marshall Junior High and Yucca Middle School. Sanders said the precautions were taken because an angry parent was spreading innuendo and rumors about a supposed... Full story
Yvette Nora's hug for her son and second-grader Robert was a little longer, a little bit stronger in a scene repeated dozens of times Friday outside Barry Elementary School. Like many parents across eastern New Mexico, a shooting spree leaving 20 children dead at a faraway Connecticut school made the unimaginable all too real for Nora. "Heartbreaking," Nora said of the days events. "I had to turn the TV off after a while. I just couldn't watch any more. What kind of person... Full story
Guadalupe Flores, eyes welling and her voice cracking, pleaded for mercy at her sentencing Friday for killing Brandon Vann, a man she called her best friend. District Judge Stephen Quinn's response was 18 years in prison — a dozen short of the maximum 30 years District Attorney Matt Chandler sought after successfully convicting Flores, 27, of Clovis of second-degree murder. Flores' attorney James Klipstine said he plans to file and appeal within the next two weeks, asking the court to set aside her conviction. Last week, K...
Hours after he was transported to the Curry County jail Thursday, former international fugitive and accused killer Noe Torres was attacked by the uncle of the child he is charged with helping slay. Undersheriff Wesley Waller confirmed jail staff placed Torres in a holding cell near one occupied by Richard Silva, the uncle of 10-year-old Carlos Perez, who was gunned down in his sleep in 2005. Waller said Torres wasn't seriously injured in the fight and Silva is expected to be charged with battery. Waller said the assault... Full story
A lawsuit filed against ENMRSH last month alleges developmentally disabled clients under the agency's care were forced to sleep outside as punishment and live in rodent or roach-infested homes in Clovis. Among other charges in the lawsuit: - One challenged client ballooned to more than 500 pounds for lack of adequate care and supervision, was diabetic and oozing fluids from open and untreated sores. The same client was forced to give herself insulin shots and measure her own...
A question of semantics apparently means County Road R will remain barricaded at least until a hearing 9 a.m. Monday before District Court Chief Judge Teddy Hartley. The attorney for six landowners said Thursday his clients believe Curry County is violating a court order obtained last week by refusing to remove the concrete barricades. But County Attorney Stephen Doerr said the way he reads the court order, the county is complying by leaving the barricades in place. Doerr said the judge who granted the temporary stay,... Full story
Tres Amigas is switching partners in the middle of its dance to finance a $1.9 billion electric power distribution center north of Clovis. Company spokesperson Adrienne Smith confirmed Tres Amigas has stopped courting Curry County and is now preparing to ask Clovis to issue an almost $2 billion Industrial Revenue Bond . The switch is not a snub for the county, according to Smith. Rather, Smith and others said, the city has experience in issuing IRBs and the county has none. The city also collects an estimated $800,000 a year...
Stuart Shane Dietz A Curry County jail booking officer is accused of stealing $500 from an inmate. Stuart Shane Dietz, 41, of Clovis, was arrested Wednesday by sheriff's deputies and charged with misdemeanor larceny, according to Undersheriff Wesley Waller. Dietz is accused of stealing the cash from a Clovis man, who was arrested for driving without a valid license and speeding. State police booked him into the jail July 30. An investigator said the theft was discovered when the inmate was released the next day. "On...
An email from a Curry County jail captain reports an investigation into a June 27 fight was almost complete by noon on June 29. A Curry County commissioner wants to know how that's possible if the jail administrator did not request an investigation until at least June 29 as county officials have indicated. "There's been a huge cover-up," Commissioner Robert Sandoval said after learning of the email from Capt. Keith Farkas to County Manager Lance Pyle. The email was among more than 200 county officials released last week in... Full story
A BNSF Railway train enters a train crossing Tuesday on County Road R. Curry County commissioners on a 4-1 vote Tuesday approved closing a chunk of Curry Road R between U.S. 60-84 and County Road 7 because of security concerns at Cannon Air Force Base. The decision was questioned by Commissioners Frank Blackburn and Robert Sandoval as well as some angry landowners, who charged the county ignored their concerns. Additionally, Clovis attorney Quentin Ray said there is a... Full story
At issue: Grand juries and how the secret panels are selected in Curry and Roosevelt counties. On one side, the defense lawyers who make a living challenging the system. On the other side, District Court Chief Judge Teddy Hartley and District Attorney Matt Chandler who say the system is fair. The defense lawyers say dozens of pending criminal cases could be in jeopardy because the district court has failed to follow state law for excusing grand jurors. Among the cases in question, the high profile murder trial of longtime and...
At issue: Grand juries and how the secret panels are selected in Curry and Roosevelt counties. On one side, the defense lawyers who make a living challenging the system. On the other side, District Court Chief Judge Teddy Hartley and District Attorney Matt Chandler who say the system is fair. The defense lawyers say dozens of pending criminal cases could be in jeopardy because the district court has failed to follow state law for excusing grand jurors. Among the cases in question, the high profile murder trial of longtime and... Full story
Former DeBaca County Administrator MelindaJoy Pattison is the new interim executive director of the Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico, the organization's board announced Thursday. Food bank board President Allan Isbell of Clovis said Pattison will temporarily fill the position held by Nancy Taylor, who died unexpectedly Aug. 2. Isbell said the decision to offer Pattison the position was approved at the board's meeting Tuesday. "Ms. Pattison has experience working within local and state governments as well as serving on the...
Former DeBaca County Administrator MelindaJoy Pattison is the new interim executive director of the Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico, the organization's board announced Thursday. Food bank board President Allan Isbell of Clovis said Pattison will temporarily fill the position held by Nancy Taylor, who died unexpectedly Aug. 2. Isbell said the decision to offer Pattison the position was approved at the board's meeting Tuesday. "Ms. Pattison has experience working within local and state governments as well as serving on the...
A former school resource police officer accused of having sex with a 16-year-old girl he met at Portales High School has a new bond. Magistrate Judge Richard Hollis set Victor Castillo's bond at $100,000 cash only Friday at a hearing dominated with concerns about the one-time officer's mental state. District Attorney Matt Chandler told Hollis that he and defense attorney Kirk Chavez had concerns Castillo was a danger to himself. Chandler added he also was concerned Castillo was a danger to his victim, the public and members...
A former school resource police officer accused of having sex with a 16-year-old girl he met at Portales High School has a new bond. Magistrate Judge Richard Hollis set Victor Castillo's bond at $100,000 cash only Friday at a hearing dominated with concerns about the one-time officer's mental state. District Attorney Matt Chandler told Hollis that he and defense attorney Kirk Chavez had concerns Castillo was a danger to himself. Chandler added he also was concerned Castillo was a danger to his victim, the public and members...
