Taos Jail Inmate Apparently Kills Himself With A Bedsheet — Associated Press
Authorities say an inmate at the Taos jail is dead and he apparently killed himself with a bedsheet.
Taos County Sheriff's officials say they were called about 9:30 a.m. Saturday to the Adult Detention Center for an unresponsive man.
They say 28-year-old Juan Espinoza-Garcia was found unconscious in his cell.
Resuscitation efforts at the scene by both detention center medical staff and Taos County emergency response paramedics were unsuccessful.
Authorities say it appears Espinoza-Garcia acted alone and tied a sheet to his bed and strangled himself.
The cause of death will be determined by the county's Office of Medical Investigations.
Espinoza-Garcia had been in jail since last Friday. Authorities say he was arrested on a warrant for possession of a stolen vehicle in Taos.
Two Silver City Officers In DA Traffic Stop Won't Be Fired — Associated Press
Two Silver City Police Department officers accused for not conducting field sobriety tests on a district attorney suspected of driving while intoxicated won't be fired.
Silver City Police Chief Ed Reynolds announced Monday the two officers involved in the June 14 stop of Francesca Estevez only will face internal punishment.
Estevez, the district attorney for Grant, Luna and Hidalgo counties, was seen on video swerving across several lanes of traffic and stumbling during the stop.
Reynolds says officers did not test Estevez and she was allowed the leave the scene. Officers say she nearly ran into an officer's car and another curb as she drove off.
Reynolds said his officers failed to do their jobs correctly, but their punishments will remain secret.
Estevez did not immediately respond to an email.
Trial On Death of APD Cop Delayed — Albuquerque Journal
The trial of a man being accused of shooting a police officer was delayed yesterday.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Davon Lymon is being charged with possessing a firearm used in the death of Albuquerque Police officer, Daniel Webster during a traffic stop.
Chief US District Judge M. Christina Armijo says she is delaying the trial because of security concerns, citing publicity over the deaths of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge.
Armijo delayed the trial at the request of Lymon’s attorney.
Judge Seeks Contempt Finding In New Mexico Food Aid Scandal— Associated Press
A federal judge is recommending contempt findings against New Mexico officials for failures in the distribution and oversight of federal food and Medicaid health care benefits to the poor.
Federal Magistrate Judge Carmen Garza on Monday recommended the appointment of a court-supervised monitor to ensure that that the New Mexico Human Services Department complies with standing court orders, decrees and federal law in the administration of federally funded benefits.
Garza said a finding of contempt against the state agency and Human Service Sec. Brent Earnest is appropriate to ensure improvements in the administration of benefits under Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps.
The recommendation responds to court testimony that expedited food aid applications were falsified to meet federal deadlines, delaying the delivery of benefits.
Casino Near Rio Rancho Planning A $50M Expansion Project—Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal
A casino near Rio Rancho is planning a $50 million expansion project that will include the property's first attached hotel.
The project will take about two years to complete and Santa Ana Star Casino officials estimate it will create approximately 120 permanent positions and hundreds of temporary construction jobs.
The Albuquerque Journal reported Monday that work is set to begin this month on the expansion project.
The casino isn't releasing additional details about the size of the hotel, but officials say it will be located to the east of the casino.
Santa Ana Star Casino is off Highway 550 just north of Rio Rancho.
It was the first Indian casino to operate in New Mexico, opening its doors in 1993.
Poll: US-Mexico Border Residents Feel Ignored, Oppose Wall— Associated Press
A new poll suggests residents along the U.S.-Mexico border are feeling ignored in the midst of the U.S. presidential election.
A Cronkite News-Univision News-Dallas Morning News border poll released Monday found a majority of urban residents surveyed on both sides of the border are against building a wall between the two countries. They also believe the tone of the presidential campaign is damaging relations.
Journalists who gathered reaction to the poll say residents feel Democrats and Republicans are ignoring their concerns and aren't proposing solutions to help their economy and combat drug trafficking and human smuggling.
The poll surveyed 1,427 residents in 14 border cities. The majority of interviews were done in Spanish, and the margin of error was 2.6 percent.
Santa Fe Authorities Recover Remains Along The Rio Grande— Associated Press
Authorities say human remains have been recovered from the Rio Grande in northern New Mexico.
The remains were discovered last week by a crew with the Army Corps of Engineers that had been working along the river a few miles north of Cochiti Lake. The state police dive team helped the Santa Fe Police Department with the recovery.
Police spokesman Greg Gurule confirmed Monday that the investigation is ongoing and the department is working to identify the remains.
Volunteers have been combing canyons and mesas along the Rio Grande for months for any signs of Randy Bilyeu, a Colorado man who went missing in January while searching for a hidden treasure.
Authorities will not speculate about the remains, and Bilyeu's family says they and the volunteers have no plans to stop searching for him.