Courts

New Mexico Human Services Department Reaches Settlement With Five Behavioral Health Providers

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HSD News:
 
SANTA FE ― The New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD) has reached a settlement agreement/addendum with the remaining five behavioral health organizations who filed lawsuits against HSD claiming that they had been damaged when the Martinez administration froze Medicaid payments in 2013.
 
The five behavioral health providers included in the settlement agreement/addendum:
  • Santa Maria El Mirador (formerly Easter Seals El Mirador);
  • Border Area Mental Health Services;
  • Southwest Counseling Center, Inc.;
  • Southern New Mexico Human Development, Inc.; and
  • Families
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Attorney General Demands Answers From Uber On Potential Abuses In New Mexico, Issues Risk Advisory

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Attorney General Hector Balderas
 
AG News:
 
SANTA FE ― Attorney General Hector Balderas opened an investigation today into potential harms to New Mexican consumers and issued a consumer safety alert today regarding popular ride-sharing service Uber.
 
According to a new report from the company, thousands of Uber drivers and passengers reported being the victims of sexual assaults, physical assaults, motor-vehicle accidents, and other harms while using the Uber app from 2017 through 2018.
 
During that period, Uber users also reported approximately 6,000 instances
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FBI: Las Cruces Man Arrested In Mexico Faces International Parental Kidnapping Charges

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FBI News:

Clarence Michael Ransom, 52, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with two counts of international parental kidnapping and one count of failure to report international travel as a sex offender.

Ransom was arrested Sunday in Mexico by Mexican authorities and returned to the United States, where Tuesday the U.S. Marshals Service took custody of him.

Ransom is accused in an FBI criminal complaint of taking his 3- and 4-year-old sons to Mexico in October, allegedly in violation of a custody agreement he signed with the children’s mother.

The boys Read More

Bail Reform Working As Intended … Is Not Cause Of Crime Problem In Albuquerque

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NMSC News:
 
SANTA FE ― Voter-approved reforms to New Mexico’s pretrial justice system are not fueling a crime problem in the state’s largest city and instead are working as intended, Administrative Office of the Courts Director Artie Pepin told lawmakers today.
 
In a progress report about bail reform, Pepin shared new data compiled by the Judiciary about the pretrial detention of defendants and highlighted a study by University of New Mexico researchers that analyzed nearly 6,400 cases between July 2017 and March 2019 in which defendants charged with felonies were released from
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Los Alamos Police Blotter: Nov. 13 To Nov. 14, 2019

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LAPD News:

The following information is provided by the Los Alamos Police Department.

Neither arrests nor charges indicate a conviction, and neither means that a person is guilty of the charges filed against them.

TAMRA TORRES

Nov. 13 at 5:24 p.m. / Police arrested Tamra Torres, 24, of Santa Fe at the Santa Clara Apartments on an outstanding District Court warrant.

 

 

 

SCOTT R. BURNWORTH

Nov. 14 at 2:34 p.m. / Police arrested Scott R. Burnworth, 28, of Los Alamos at 31 Rover Blvd. and charged him with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Read More

Rep. Bill Rehm Announces Bail Reform Plan Designed To Keep Dangerous Suspects Off Streets In New Mexico

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New Mexico State Rep. Bill Rehm
 
RPNM News:
 
ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico State Rep. Bill Rehm (R-Albuquerque) formally announced his plan Wednesday to seek bail reform legislation designed to keep dangerous suspects off the streets.
 
“The function of political leaders is to protect the safety of the community,” Rehm said. “And right now, communities don’t feel safe. We have failed communities.”
 
Rehm’s legislation would force judges to consider the seriousness of the suspect’s charge, the suspect’s past criminal history
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NM Supreme Court Rules Unfair Practices Act Does Not Allow Competitive Injury Claims Seeking Lost Profits

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NMSC News:
 
SANTA FE ― The state Supreme Court ruled today that one of the state’s consumer protection laws, the state’s Unfair Practices Act (UPA), does not permit a seller of services to bring a lawsuit against another seller for “competitive injury”.
 
The case involves a dispute between two Albuquerque firms that both provide railroad construction and repair services to BNSF Railway Company.
 
GandyDancer, LLC, sued to recover damages and asserted one of their claims under the UPA, contending that Rock House CGM, LLC, won BNSF contracts through unfair competition. GandyDancer
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Los Alamos Police Blotter: Nov. 8, 2019

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LAPD News:

The following information is provided by the Los Alamos Police Department.

Neither arrests nor charges indicate a conviction, and neither means that a person is guilty of the charges filed against them.

MARSHALL MERLE SANCHEZ

Nov. 8 at 12:34 a.m. / Police arrested Marshall Merle Sanchez, 36, of Los Alamos at Central Avenue and 4th Street on an outstanding Magistrate Court warrant and charged him with possession of drug paraphernalia.

 

 

 

NAOMI RAE GONZALES

Nov. 8 at 4:18 a.m. / Police arrested Naomi Rae Gonzales, 19, of Los Alamos at 2025 East Jemez Road and charged Read More

AOC Director Artie Pepin Issues Statement On New Mexico’s System For Pretrial Release And Detention

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Administrative Office of the Courts Director Artie Pepin

Administrative Office of the Courts News:

SANTA FE – Administrative Office of the Courts Director Artie Pepin today issued the following statement regarding New Mexico’s system for the pretrial release and detention of people charged with a crime.

 

“What happened to Victoria Martens is horrific and all New Mexicans want justice in this case. In every case, a judge’s responsibility is to follow the law – not be swayed by emotion or public sentiment. Judges take seriously their obligation to protect public safety in deciding Read More

NMSP Resolve Espanola Armed; Barricaded Situation

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Clayton Megariz
 
NMSP News:
 
At around 1:30 a.m., Tuesday, the New Mexico State Police Uniform Bureau in Espanola was asked to assist the Rio Rancho Police Department in locating Clayton Megariz, 29, of Ojo Caliente.
 
Megariz was a suspect in a shoplifting incident that occurred at a Walmart earlier that evening in Rio Rancho. Megariz had an active felony warrant out for his arrest from the incident at Walmart.
 
At approximately 3 a.m., a New Mexico State Police Officer saw the suspect vehicle parked at the Alon Gas Station at the intersection of N.M. 291 and N.M. 68.
 
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