Court Broadens Domestic Violence Arrest Authority - Associated Press
New Mexico's highest court is giving police more leeway to make arrests without a warrant in domestic violence cases.
The state Supreme Court on Monday ruled that police can make a warrantless arrest when it's reasonably close to the scene of the domestic violence.
State law allows a warrantless arrest at the scene of a domestic disturbance, and the justices broadened that to include a location near the place where the incident happened.
The ruling overturned a state Court of Appeals decision that found Daniel Almanzar had been improperly arrested in 2007 across the street from the state fairgrounds in Albuquerque where he alleged kicked his girlfriend during a quarrel.
The justices said the arrest was lawful, allowing cocaine found during a search of Almanzar to be used as evidence.
Pipe Bombs Prompt Authorities To Form Task Force - Associated Press
Law enforcement agencies from across the state have stepped up efforts to find a suspect who threw two pipe bombs at an Albuquerque probation and parole office last month.
Officials with New Mexico State Police, the state Department of Corrections, Albuquerque police, the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department and others have formed a task force to generate leads in the case.
Corrections Secretary Gregg Marcantel says the suspect has threatened the law enforcement community and citizens and should be considered dangerous.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
The two explosive devices were found outside the probation and parole office on Nov. 21. The building was evacuated and the Albuquerque bomb squad destroyed the devices.
Lawmakers Told NM Needs 160K Jobs Over Next Decade - Associated Press
A report to lawmakers says New Mexico needs to create about 16,000 jobs annually over the next decade to keep pace with population growth, reduce unemployment and offset future jobs losses if the state wants to return to 2007 pre-recession employment levels.
The Legislature's Jobs Council was given the assessment Monday by a private consulting firm that outlined possible job creation proposals for lawmakers to consider, including increased spending on marketing by the Economic Development and Tourism departments and creating a "closing fund" for economic development projects.
The consulting firm told lawmakers that New Mexico is capable of creating 160,000 jobs during the next decade, but not enough is being invested currently in job creation.
The Legislature meets in January for a 30-day session.
Feds Investigate Deadly NM Train Derailment - Associated Press
Federal and state authorities are investigating the cause of a deadly freight train derailment in southwestern New Mexico.
A spokesman with the Federal Railroad Administration says five investigators were at the site Monday. There were also two state inspectors at the scene.
The FRA investigators are examining all factors that may have contributed to the derailment. It could take several weeks before a cause is determined.
The derailment happened Saturday near Bayard when the train's locomotive plunged 40 feet down a ravine, killing the three people onboard.
The train was operated by Southwest Railroad Inc.
Police identified the three as 38-year-old Donald White, 60-year-old Steven Crose and 50-year-old Ann Thompson. White lived in Silver City, and Crose and Thompson were originally from the northern Arizona community of Paulden.