Year in review: Fire, elections mark Curry's year

An April 29 fire that destroyed four homes and burned through 185 acres was the dominant story in Curry County for 2022.

Also destroyed in the fire were 14 outbuildings and other vehicles and property.

There were no serious injuries reported in the fire northwest of Clovis. Fire department personnel and vehicles were joined by three helicopters, personnel and equipment from Cannon Air Force Base, the city of Clovis, Curry County’s road department, Clovis police, Curry County Sheriff’s deputies and state police, Clovis Fire Chief Mike Nolen said. Eleven area fire departments also assisted.

Nolen said flames spread from a van that caught fire on Llano Estacado Boulevard west of Curry Road M. The blaze spread to other properties, carried by southwesterly winds, Nolen said. Gattis Middle School in Clovis and a day care center were evacuated as a precaution.

The year 2022 was also an election year for Curry County.

Voters ended hopes for a second term for District 2 County Commissioner Tom Martin III, who ran as an independent. Voters chose Bradley Bender, a Republican; Bender ran unopposed in the June primary.

In Commission District 3, voters chose Dusty Leatherwood to replace County Commissioner Chet Spear, who termed out. Leatherwood beat out Lisa Pellegrino Spear and Norman Kia in the Republican primary in June. No Democrats ran for the seat.

Fidel Madrid, a long-time Clovis City commissioner, ran alone for the District 1 commission seat held by District 1 Commissioner Robert Sandoval, who endorsed Madrid. Sandoval plans to retire this year.

Ninth Judicial District Court Judge Benjamin Cross kept his seat after defeating Curry County Magistrate Judge Shaun Burns in the June primary. He was the lone candidate on the ballot in the November General Election.

Meanwhile, Stephen Whittington topped a field of four to win Clovis’ Division 2 magistrate judge’s position currently held by Burns in the Republican primary. Whittington was unopposed in the November general election.

Burns vacated the magistrate judge position to run for the district judge post. Whittington will assume the magistrate bench in January.

The Curry County Commission in 2022 wrestled with issues related to the state’s legalization of recreational cannabis production and sales. The issues included distance between cannabis establishments and schools and churches, packaging of cannabis products in ways that are fraudulent or would attract children, and tax revenues from cannabis operations.

On the distance rules, the commission did not pass an ordinance, and at year end, questions remained on whether the commission could establish up to 1,000-foot minimum distance between cannabis establishments and churches and day-care centers, and whether the distance should be measured from property line to property line or entrance to entrance.

The commission at year end was considering an ordinance that would ban packaging and advertising of cannabis products in ways that are fraudulent or designed to attract minors.

At year end, the county had collected only about $4,700 in excise tax revenues from cannabis businesses based in the county, state figures showed.

Construction started on a new wing to the Curry County Courthouse that is designed to include renovation of the county sheriff’s office and magistrate court offices . The project is expected to cost $10.1 million, according to David Puritz of the NCA architectural firm.

With the renovation of the sheriff’s office complete, demolition of the first floor on the courthouse’s east side has begun. A new courtroom, a new court clerk’s office and public restrooms will be built in that space, according to county officials.

In addition, construction has begun on a new Curry County Cooperative Extension Service building at the Curry County Fairgrounds. The estimated cost of the structure is $716,000. The building will include offices, kitchen facilities and a meeting room large enough to accommodate 230 persons.

Planning has also begun on a new county sports complex, which Vigil & Associates Architectural Group, P.C., an Albuquerque-based firm, estimates will cost $12 million to $13 million, if not more, for a 26,000-square-foot facility.

Vigil and Associates presented programs for the facility that would include an elevated running track, a rock-climbing wall and a fitness room.

Plans were also under way this year for reopening of a medical clinic in Melrose operated by Presbyterian Health Care. The clinic is scheduled to open early in 2023, County Manager Lance Pyle said.

At the Aug. 24 session of the Curry County Commission, commissioners unanimously approved an agreement between Curry County and Presbyterian Health Care for Presbyterian to run the Melrose Health Clinic.

The health clinic has been closed for more than a year, Pyle said.

Curry County saw some serious crime in 2022.

The most recent was the slaying of Ismael Zachery Martinez, 27. Martinez’ body was found about 2:30 p.m. Dec. 16 in a field near Curry County roads K and B. Martinez had been shot and was dead when sheriff’s deputies found his body.

The sheriff’s department arrested Cesar Rascon-Chacon, 23, and Mi’Linda Gallegos, 20, in connection with Martinez’ death. Sheriff Wesley Waller said authorities have “made contact” with a third person of interest in the case.

Waller said that a fourth person of interest, Eduardo Blanco, 27, is still being sought for questioning.

Waller said the investigation is continuing and additional arrests are anticipated.

Three women are facing child abuse charges in Ninth Judicial District Court on multiple counts due to treatment of children in a Texico house in which they were charged with the care of the children.

Jamye Kushman, 37, and Janie Sena, 29, each face 23 counts of child abuse in connection with incidents at the house this year. Lora Melancon, 41, is facing eight counts in connection with incidents that allegedly occurred at the house in 2020.

Melancon was arrested Sept. 2 and charged with four counts of intentional child abuse with no death or great bodily harm and one count of conspiracy to commit abuse of a child (does not result in death or great bodily harm) in the case involving the home at 236 CR 8.5 in Texico.

Melancon got out of jail Sept. 7 on $5,000 bond.

Preliminary hearings Sept. 2 included video clips depicting acts of neglect and apparent cruelty against a young boy that led to felony allegations against Kushman and Sena.

Under questioning from her attorney, Frank Rio of Clovis, Kushman said she had been providing foster care to the child for seven years.

The boy, she said, has disorders that include oppositional/defiant disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome and serious learning disabilities. She also said he has tendencies toward running away and has been known to take out windows to escape a locked house

She said the dilapidated mattress the boy was seen using in the videos was temporary while the bedroom was being remodeled.

Both Ninth Judicial District judges Benjamin Cross in Sena’s case and Drew Tatum in Kushman’s case, ordered Sena and Kushman to be held without bond until trial.

A report of “shots fired” at the Curry County Fair on Aug. 17 caused a scene of people running and parents and children screaming and scrambling to find loved ones.

Sheriff Waller, however, reported that the incident involved a fight among some young people but no gunfire.

In another case, sheriff’s deputies discovered a stolen Case loader buried in a field off Curry Road G on Oct. 26 while they were investigating a tip on another piece of equipment stolen from Parmer County, Texas.

The Case loader was reported stolen from the Clovis construction company whose name was printed on the loader’s side in July, Waller reported.

On Sept. 9, Curry County Court Deputy Amy Jo McKenna was seriously injured when the medical transport vehicle she was riding in left U.S. 70 in Chaves County, and rolled.

McKenna was assisting in a court-ordered medical transport to a facility in Roswell when the accident occurred. All four occupants of the vehicle, including the patient, were injured. McKenna was taken to Roswell by ambulance, then airlifted to El Paso.