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Local Crime Report for Friday May 29, 2015

5/29/2015

(Deming) – Here’s the area crime report:

Justin Tovar, age 22, was arrested for unlawful use of a license… Sylvia Garcia, age 30, of Albuquerque, was arrested on an Arizona fugitive complaint for failure to appear on drug charges… Maclen Hernandez-Villescas, age 29, was arrested on two Municipal warrants – one for failure to pay fines and one for failure to appear… and a 16-year-old boy was cited for resisting, evading or obstructing officers and trespassing at Deming High School.

Also… three televisions, two tablet computers and jewelry, with a combined value of nearly $900, were taken from a residence off Granite.

Cavazos Found Guilty of Smuggling Charge

5/29/2015

(Deming) – A federal jury in Las Cruces Thursday found a Deming man guilty of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens.

     U.S. Attorney Damon Martinez said 67-year-old Jose Efrain Cavazos of Deming was arrested in November of last year and charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens.    The trial against Cavazos began Tuesday, May 27th, and concluded Thursday afternoon when the jury, after two hours of deliberation, returned a guilty verdict on the sole count of the indictment.

     The evidence at trial established that on November 19th, 2014, Border Patrol Agents came upon six individuals lying on the ground north of Mile Marker 69 on New Mexico State Road 9 in Luna County.

     Questioning by the agents revealed that the individuals were unlawfully in the United States.

     The agents recovered a cellular phone from one of the undocumented aliens, used the cellular phone number and arranged to be picked up on Interstate 10 by the person who answered the phone.

     The following day Cavazos was arrested when he arrived to pick up individuals he believed to be undocumented aliens, but who were, in fact, Border Patrol Agents.

     Cavazos faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison followed by up to three years of supervised release.

Deming Public School's Seamless Summer Lunch Program

5/29/2015

(Deming) – The Seamless Summer Lunch Program through the Deming Public Schools begins Monday, June 1st.

     DPS Student Nutrition Director Ginger Jones said the lunches, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are free of charge to all youth between 1-18 years of age.

     Lunches will be served weekdays at area parks from June 1st-July 31st, 2015.

     To receive a free meal through the program, children simply need to show up at serving time, which is 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. No registration or proof of income or age is required.

     Lunches will be served at Elsie Vega Park… Water Tower Park… Nacio Herb Brown Park… Scout Park… John T. Waits Park… and BMX Race Park.

     Anyone with questions on the Deming Public Schools Seamless Summer Lunch Program may contact Jones at 546-2522 or by mail at 1001 South Diamond, Deming, 88030.

     Again, summer lunches will begin being served Monday.

Macho Springs Produces Large Payment

5/29/2015

(Deming) – A Luna County solar energy facility has produced the largest payment to date from any state solar energy project.

     New Mexico Public Lands Commissioner Aubrey Dunn Thursday announced the receipt of nearly $218,000 from Macho Springs, one of New Mexico’s largest solar energy facilities.

     The Macho Springs project is located on approximately 600 acres of state trust land 25 miles northeast of Deming.

     The Macho Springs plant was constructed by First Solar, one of the world’s largest solar developers, in 2014.

     The plant generates about 50 megawatts of energy which is sold to El Paso Electric to power approximately 18,000 homes.

     The $218,000 is the first of a series of payments to be distributed to the trust beneficiaries which, over the life of the lease, are projected to total approximately $10 million.

     Dunn said the payment also represents the beginning of potential revenue from renewable energy projects.

     He added that State Land Office officials are actively seeking opportunities to facilitate similar projects that will provide significant long-term revenues to the state’s public schools and other beneficiaries.

Delgado Property Seized, to be Auctioned

5/29/2015

Anna Delgado

(Deming) – The property of a woman accused of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from numerous Deming victims was seized Thursday.

     Luna County Sheriff’s Captain Jose Martinez said deputies served a writ of execution to seize the property of Anna Delgado, who operated Mimbres Valley Escrow Services until the state shut down the business in June 2012 after receiving complaints that payments entrusted to the company were withheld, embezzled and/or diverted into other accounts.

     Delgado was arrested in early March, and remains jailed on eight counts of second-degree embezzlement over $20,000, and three counts of third-degree embezzlement over $2,500 but less than $20,000. The charges represent 11 separate accounts and almost $822,000 in missing money.

     Martinez said up to eight deputies spent most of Thursday seizing jewelry, electronics, appliances, tools, a shed, a Jacuzzi, a Coke machine, tires and rims, and other items of value which could be auctioned for revenue to pay restitution to Delgado’s victims.

     He said the writ of execution exempted personal items and items necessary for daily life.

     Martinez said the seized items will be secured until the auction is held. No auction date has been set.

Local Crime Report for Thursday May 28, 2015

5/28/2015

(Deming) – Here’s the area crime report:

     Kimberly Porter, age 38, was arrested for entering a house without consent… Michael Ortiz, age 21, was arrested for no insurance…

     Christopher Lavan, age 32, of Sour Lake, Texas, was arrested on a District Court warrant for failure to appear… Raymundo Ordonez, age 69, was arrested on a Magistrate warrant for failure to appear… and Teododo Herrera, age 33, of El Paso, Texas, was arrested on an Otero County warrant for failure to appear.

     Also… Border Patrol officials reported the loss of four game cameras valued at over $1,400… and a breaking-and-entering was reported at a residence off Purple Sage Road.

Luna Unemployment Remains Just Under 20%

5/28/2015

(Deming) – Luna County's April unemployment rate remained unchanged from March at just under 20%.

     Preliminary figures from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions show Luna County with an April unemployment rate of 19.9%, the same rate as the March revised rate, but down from the April 2014 rate of 21%.

     Luna was the only county in the state with double-digit unemployment in April.

   Other counties with high unemployment rates in New Mexico in April were Mora at 9.8%, Sierra at 9.5% and Taos at 9%.

     In our area, Grant County had 5.7% unemployment in April, Hidalgo County had 6% and the Las Cruces area had 6.8%.

   The county with the least unemployment was Los Alamos with 3.4%.

     Unemployment statewide was 6.2% in April – up slightly from March.

   The New Mexico labor force estimates show Luna County with a labor force of 10,312 – with 8,259 employed and 2,053 unemployed.

Municipal Library Still Needs Yearbooks

5/28/2015

(Deming) – Marshall Memorial Library officials are making one final plea to borrow yearbooks.

     Library Clerk Peggy Vlack said the local library is working with a company in Oklahoma to digitize Deming High School yearbooks.

     Vlack said all yearbooks loaned for the project will be returned.   Currently, the library’s collection begins with 1949. And, she said, they are missing 1958 and 2001.

     Vlack said they are acquiring three copies of the digitized yearbooks – one for the Deming Luna Mimbres Museum, one for Deming High School and one for the library.

     For more information, email Vlack at pvlack@cityofdeming.org, phone 546-9202 or stop by the library at 110 S. Diamond.

Deming Family Chosen for Cancer Cause

5/28/2015

Peter "Pete" Fox

(Deming) – Pete’s family of Deming has been chosen as the New Mexico Hero Family for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s national fundraising weekend next month.

     Peter "Pete" Fox was only 8 when he passed away from cancer last August.

     Pete reportedly loved school and Boy Scouts, was smart and compassionate, and is loved and missed.

     Pete's family has joined with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding cures for childhood cancers.

     As part of their fundraising efforts, the organization selected fifty families across the country to represent their respective state and take a stand against childhood cancer during Alex’s Lemonade Days, June 12th-14th.

     Alex’s Lemonade Days is a volunteer fundraiser commemorating 8-year-old Alexandra “Alex” Scott’s challenge to raise $1 million for childhood cancer cures, one cup of lemonade at a time.

     Pete’s family is working to spread awareness about the ongoing childhood cancer fight by sharing their personal journey with Pete.

     Find out more about Pete and the fundraiser by searching the internet for Alex’s Lemonade Days and clicking on New Mexico. (http://www.alexslemonade.org/campaign/alexs-lemonade-days/new-mexico)

Deming Elks Donate to Combat Vets Motorcycle Run

5/27/2015

(Pictured: Sonny "Red" Garney with the Combat Vets, Exalted Ruler Jerry Pingleton, and J.R. "Smoke" Luna, also with the Combat Vets)

Deming – The Deming Elks Lodge recently donated to the Combat Vets Motorcycle Association for the organization’s Third Annual Vets Helping Vets Motorcycle Run to be held June 13th.

     During the event, local community bikers and non-riders will come together to participate in a parade-style ride through the community to various locations in and around Las Cruces.

     The lodge presented a check for $1,000 from gaming charity monies.

     Exalted Ruler Jerry Pingleton said veterans have always been important to the Elks, and the donation is one way the lodge can show its support to those who have served our country.

     The Elks motto is, "As long as there are veterans, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will never forget them.”

     The Combat Vets have made donations toward a monument for United Military Women of the Southwest, assisted with the purchase of a truck to move homeless vets to permanent housing, given ongoing support for homeless vets through Mesilla Valley Community of Hope, provided paid travel and expenses for elderly vets to visit the WWII Memorial in Washington, DC, and given continuous support of Willie's Heroes, an organization that strives to serve local veterans.

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