Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
CLOVIS — The city of Clovis’ information technology director was arrested last month, accused of carrying a gun in Love Field Airport while on a work-related trip, records show.
Paul Nelson, 40, was arrested June 11 “for bringing a weapon into the secure part of the airport,” said Dallas Police Department Public Information Officer Debra Webb.
Nelson did not immediately respond to messages left at his office and on his cell phone on Monday. But on June 29, he declined to answer questions about the incident.
Clovis’ Interim City Manager Tom Phelps also declined comment, stating it was a personnel matter.
City officials have responded to multiple public information requests from The Eastern New Mexico News related to Nelson’s trip that was scheduled June 11-15 to Washington D.C.
Records from those requests show a purchase of roundtrip airfare between Dallas and D.C. for Nelson and another city IT employee.
City officials, also responding to public records requests from the newspaper, said no city employees have been on administrative leave since at least June 11, but it wasn’t clear if Nelson has been working since the incident.
He was still employed by the city late last month, Phelps said.
The Clovis city commission last Thursday held an executive session to discuss “limited personnel matters,” Mayor David Lansford said.
He declined to provide additional information. Commissioners took no action following the closed-door meeting.
Commissioners have scheduled another executive session this Thursday to discuss limited personnel matters, which is authorized by the state’s Open Meetings Act.
It’s not known if either session is related to Nelson.
A city employee said Nelson was “not going to be in this week” when The News attempted to call him at his office in late June.
A call to Nelson’s office on Monday went to his voice mail and was not immediately returned.
Records related to Nelson’s court appearances could not immediately be located and it was not clear if he has an attorney.
