Teen Tells Doctor He Heard Voices Before Killing – Associated Press
A psychiatrist has testified that a New Mexico teenager appeared "detached" and "matter of fact" when he described killing his parents and three younger siblings.
Dr. Kris Mohandie said Monday that he believes Nehemiah Griego has a severe personality disorder.
Mohandie also testified that Griego, now 18, said in an interview that he was abused as a boy and has heard voices since he was about 8 that urged him to act violently.
Prosecutors called Mohandie to testify as an expert witness during a hearing to determine whether Griego should be sentenced as a juvenile or adult.
Griego was 15 when authorities say he fatally shot five family members in January 2013.
He has pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death.
Feds To Study Butterfly Once Found Across Southwest – Associated Press
Federal officials plan to study the status of a butterfly once found across the Southwest to see if it warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday announced it will conduct a 12-month review of the Great Basin silverspot butterfly.
Environmentalists had petitioned the agency to consider the butterfly's status, saying it has been losing habitat due to development, grazing, mining and changing hydrological conditions.
With its black markings, the orange-brown butterfly lives in streamside meadows, seeps and wetlands in the high desert. It uses the nectar of thistles and horsemint.
Federal biologists say the butterfly is found in southwestern Colorado and on the Navajo Nation in Arizona and New Mexico. Historically, it was also found in northern New Mexico and eastern Utah.
Albuquerque Police Officer Shoots Man After Bank Robbed – Associated Press
Albuquerque police say an officer shot and wounded a 47-year-old man who fit the description of a bank robbery suspect.
The shooting occurred Monday late afternoon after a robbery was reported at a Bank of America branch near Candelaria and Carlisle in northeast Albuquerque.
Police say the officer shot the man after the man ran when the officer attempted to stop him. A police spokesman said a gun was found next to the man but the spokesman said he didn't know what occurred immediately before the officer shot the man.
The wounded man was hospitalized in stable condition with at least one gunshot wound.
No identities were released immediately.
The officer is on standard paid leave, and a multi-agency team is investigating the shooting.
Ex-Santa Fe County Jail Officer Admits To Drug Smuggling – Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
A former corrections officer at the Santa Fe County jail is facing up to 10 years in prison for smuggling drugs.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that 21-year-old Edward Owens pleaded guilty to possessing and conspiring to distribute narcotics along with an inmate.
As part of a plea agreement, Owens will be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and may pay a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing has been scheduled for March 3 in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque.
As part of his plea agreement, Owens admitted that in August 2014 he smuggled the prescription drug Suboxone into the jail for his co-defendant James Barela, who was an inmate.
Barela was sentenced in October to a year and a day in prison.
Dem Leader: Varying REAL ID Rules In New Mexico Can End – Associated Press
Democratic House Minority Leader Brian Egolf says New Mexico is seeing varying REAL ID requirements because Republicans were "unwilling to compromise" on a fix last year.
The Santa Fe Democrat said Monday that a Senate proposal creating a "two-tier" system could resolve current confusion over making New Mexico compliant under the federal REAL ID Act.
The bill will allow state residents to get REAL ID compliant licenses. Others, including immigrants in the country illegally, would have had the option to keep non-REAL ID compliant identifications.
A Republican plan would create REAL ID compliant licenses and allow immigrants to apply for "driving privilege cards."
White Sands Missile Range and Sandia Labs announced on Monday it will no longer accept just a New Mexico driver's license as a form of identification from visitors.
Proposal Says New Mexico Lawmakers Deserve Salary – Associated Press
The nation's only unsalaried state legislature is considering whether it wants a steady paycheck.
Legislation proposed in New Mexico ahead of the January legislative session would provide lawmakers with a salary of about $45,000.
The proposal was submitted to the state House of Representative by Republican Terry McMillan of Las Cruces. Approval looks unlikely because legislative salaries are not part of initial budget recommendations from the governor and legislature.
New Mexico lawmakers receive retirement benefits and per diem compensation of $163. That covers work during legislative sessions that last 30 and 60 days in alternating years as well as committee work. Per diem compensation can add up to more than $25,000 a year in some instances.
Police: 2 Arrested For Stealing Funds From Senate President – Associated Press
Las Cruces police have arrested two men accused of stealing more than $180,000 from a high-ranking member of the New Mexico Senate.
Police say Stephen Dale Siddall and William Samora are facing embezzlement and conspiracy charges for taking money from Senate Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen's personal, campaign and government accounts.
Siddall is also facing charges of forgery, identity theft and disposing of stolen property.
Siddall had served as Papen's campaign treasurer and was her longtime personal assistant. Siddall and Samora lived at Papen's home in Las Cruces.
Both men were arrested Monday. Bond for Siddall was set at $75,000 while Samora was held on a $50,000 cash bond.
It's unclear if the men have attorneys.
Police began investigating in July. Detectives discovered withdrawals that dated back to 2013.
Diocese Of Las Cruces Warns Of Pope Juarez Mass Ticket Scams -
Russell Contreras, Associated Press
The Diocese of Las Cruces is warning New Mexico residents that offers to purchase tickets for Pope Francis' Mass in Ciudad Juarez are scams.
Officials say the Diocese of Ciudad Juarez is the official distributor of tickets for the Papal Mass next month but due to limited seating the Diocese of Las Cruces won't get any tickets.
Ciudad Juarez, on the northern border across from El Paso, Texas, is the last stop in the pope's schedule 5-day visit to Mexico.
He is slated to finish his Ciudad Juarez trip with an open-air Mass in a large field with a capacity for 220,000 people near Benito Juarez Stadium.
El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz says he is working with local officials about celebrating Mass with the pope at the El Paso border fence.
Man Found Dead In Gallup, Possibly Due To Exposure – Gallup Independent, Associated Press
The body of a Churchrock man has been found outside a building on U.S. Historic Highway 66, possibly a victim of the current cold weather.
The Gallup Independent reports that if it is found that 59-year-old Wesley Yazzie died of exposure, his will be the sixth death during the current weather season.
A final determination will be made once autopsy results are completed.
Gallup Police say the body was found Friday by workers who were shoveling snow. The workers called 911, saying they found a frozen body that was not breathing.
State High Court Agrees To Hear Case About Medical Laws – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
The New Mexico Supreme Court has agreed to hear a lawsuit examining if either Texas or New Mexico laws apply to a woman's lawsuit alleging medical malpractice.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Kimberly Montaño is looking to pursue a medical malpractice claim against a Texas Tech University surgeon she says botched her gastric bypass surgery in 2004. She says she sought treatment in Lubbock, Texas because that was the only way her insurer would cover it.
Texas law bars lawsuits against individual state employees such as the surgeon who performed Montano's bypass. In New Mexico she would be able to pursue her case for damages.
A state District Court and the New Mexico Court of Appeals both concluded that violates New Mexico's public policy. Montaño argues if Texas law applies in the case she will have no recourse to seek damages. Doctors and hospitals say a decision favoring New Mexico laws could make Texas providers reluctant to take New Mexico patients.
New Mexico AG To Support Clinton At Minority Forum In Iowa – Associated Press
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas says he's throwing his support behind Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.
Balderas traveled to Iowa on Monday to support Clinton during a forum focused on minority issues. The event at Drake University includes Clinton, Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders.
As the nation's only elected Latino Democratic attorney general, Balderas says he believes Clinton is the best qualified to strengthen the economy, reform the criminal justice system and fix the nation's broke immigration system.
The attorney general's campaign is paying for his trip to Iowa.
Arizona, New Mexico Tribes Share In Veterans Housing Funds – Associated Press
Tribes in Arizona and New Mexico are sharing in more than $1.1 million in federal funding to help address homelessness among veterans.
The grant money comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The agencies awarded a total of nearly $6 million to 26 tribes and tribal entities.
The agencies say recent statutory changes allow for American Indian veterans to use housing vouchers.
Some 80 veterans in Arizona and New Mexico are expected to receive housing assistance and support services, thanks to the grants.
Housing authorities on the Navajo and Hopi reservations, and the San Carlos Apache and Tohono O'odham tribes in Arizona successfully applied for the funding. Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico also benefits.
Feds Charge Man Shot By Police After Bank Robbery Attempt – The Associated Press
A 47-year-old man who was shot and wounded by an Albuquerque police officer now faces a federal charge of attempted bank robbery.
A federal complaint accuses Darrel Salazar of Albuquerque of trying to rob a Bank of America branch late Monday.
An FBI agent's affidavit says Salazar was followed by a customer who called 911 after Salazar ran from the bank when he failed to get any money from a teller. The affidavit says a police officer shot Salazar after he drew a handgun and pointed it at officers.
Salazar didn't have an attorney when he appeared in federal court Tuesday. A magistrate ordered him held pending another hearing.
Police said the officer is on standard paid leave and that a multi-agency team is investigating the shooting.
New Mexico Council OKs Investment Funds For Startups –The Associated Press
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says a new program approved by the State Investment Council will give startup companies the capital they need to bring new innovations and ideas to the market.
Martinez and the rest of the council voted Tuesday to approve the program. She says it will be another tool New Mexico can use as it works to diversify its economy.
Under the program, a fund will be established using a combination of state, federal and private money. It will be used for small investments in for-profit micro funds around the state that provide seed money for startups.
The fund will be made up of $10 million from the state's Severance Tax Permanent Fund. Another $5 million each would come from the U.S. Treasury Department and private investors.
Diocese Of Las Cruces Warns Of Pope Juarez Mass Ticket Scams – The Associated Press
Roman Catholic Church officials in southern New Mexico are warning that offers to purchase tickets for Pope Francis' Mass in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez are scams.
Officials say the Diocese of Ciudad Juarez is the official distributor of tickets for the Papal Mass next month but due to limited seating the Diocese of Las Cruces in New Mexico won't get any tickets.
Ciudad Juarez, on Mexico's northern border across from El Paso, Texas, is the last stop in the pope's scheduled 5-day visit to Mexico.
He is slated to finish his Ciudad Juarez trip with an open-air Mass in a large field near Benito Juarez Stadium.
El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz says he is consulting with local officials about celebrating Mass with the pope at the El Paso border fence.