Local roundup - May 19

Juvenile zoo vandals cited

CLOVIS — Police announced Friday they completed the investigation into vandalism May 11 at Hillcrest Park Zoo, issuing citations to four juveniles between the ages of 12 and 14.

The children were identified and interviewed this week after zoo staff shared still images online from surveillance footage of the incident. Police said the marmoset enclosure sustained over $300 in damages after the four scaled the zoo fences and “one of the juveniles kicked the glass pane, shattering it.”

None of the three small monkeys inside were injured, Capt. Roman Romero said in an email.

The four offenders “were cited to Juvenile Probation for the delinquent act of criminal damage and criminal trespass,” he said, noting “their parents and the schools were crucial in identifying (them).”

Artesia suspect nabbed in Clovis

CLOVIS — A man wanted by authorities in Eddy County for an alleged burglary Christmas eve in Artesia was arrested Thursday in Clovis, police say.

Gonzalo Rodriguez, 25, was arrested without incident after officers converged on a property on the 1200 block of Pile Street, Capt. Roman Romero said in an email. Artesia Police Department had earlier contacted officers in reference to Rodriguez, who was associated with the residence in Clovis.

According to a May 1 criminal complaint, Rodriguez allegedly stabbed two homeowners in Artesia Dec. 24 during a “wrestling match” when the pair came home, found him in their master bedroom and attempted to stop him from fleeing. One of the homeowners still pursued Rodriguez with a baseball bat, but he made it into a car and drove away, according to the complaint.

A shoe left at the scene came back with a match to Rodriguez following DNA analysis by the State Forensic Lab, records show.

Rodriguez was held in the Curry County Adult Detention Center pending extradition back to Artesia on felony charges of aggravated burglary and aggravated battery.