Here’s a look at today’s news:
Sixth Judicial District Attorney Francesca Estevez, took a plea deal of guilty to one count of reckless driving and two counts of disorderly conduct yesterday in Las Cruces, a day before her trial was set to begin. Judge Douglas Driggers, sentenced Estevez to a conditional discharge and one year of unsupervised probation. With the plea deal, Estevez faced up to 455 days in jail. The case stemmed from an incident that occurred on June 11th of 2016, when Estevez was captured in a video driving a state-owned vehicle erratically on Highway 180 outside of Silver City. Eventually, she was pulled over in a gas station parking lot and claimed she had a flat tire, although officers on the scene claimed she was showing signs of impairment. In addition, a sobriety test was never issued. New Mexico State Attorney, Hector Balderas has expressed disagreement with the sentencing and is requesting Estevez to resign. She was re-elected in 2016 and her term would end in 2020.
TLC Construction (Contractor) will be continuing roadway reconstruction, installation of curb and gutter, sidewalk and bike lanes. NM 15 will be northbound traffic only from HWY 180 to the 32nd street interchange. Starting June 11th Ranch Club Road will be CLOSED from Pinos Altos Rd to Pine Loop. Detours will be in place and traffic is asked to reduce speed and use caution, seek an alternate route if possible. Contractor’s hours of operation will be from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday; closures and traffic control shall remain in place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Construction is scheduled to be completed by spring of 2019.
Two men have been arrested for attempting to smuggle guns and ammunition into Mexico through the border town Columbus, New Mexico. Josias Garcia, from Columbus, and Eduardo Chavez, an American citizen residing in Palomas, Mexico, are facing charges that could cause them to serve life sentence in prison. The federal indictment states that they allegedly tried to smuggle guns and ammo into Mexico and in addition, accuses them of holding three Mexican nationals hostage in a trailer in Columbus. Both individuals have pleaded not guilty.
The 7th Annual Aldo Leopold Kids Fishing Derby held at Lake Roberts was complete success, with over 80 fish checked in at the weight station. The majority of fish caught were Gila Trout, many over 18 inches in length. The winner of the derby was Jesse James Dominguez, from Mimbres, with his winning fish length of 18.6 inches. The event is sponsored by the Wilderness District of the Gila National Forest, in addition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Trout Unlimited, New Mexico Wildlife Federation, Morningstar Outdoors, and numerous other local businesses and organizations. The derby coincided with New Mexico’s Free Fishing Day, so no licenses were needed.
