Courts

Supreme Court Affirms Albuquerque Man’s Convictions In Fatal Shooting Of 8-Year-Old Girl

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NMSC News:
 
SANTA FE ― The state Supreme Court Thursday upheld the convictions of an Albuquerque man in the shooting death of an 8-year-old girl during an altercation between two groups of men in 2013.
 
In a unanimous ruling, the state’s highest court concluded there was sufficient evidence to support David Candelaria’s convictions of first-degree depraved mind murder and aggravated assault. He was sentenced to life in prison plus nine years. Candelaria did not appeal his conviction of shooting at or from a motor vehicle.
 
The victim, Sunni Reza, was a passenger in a car with
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Los Alamos Police Blotter: Dec. 5 To Dec. 11, 2018

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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.

AUSTIN LEE COX

Dec. 5 at 11:55 a.m. / Police arrested Austin Lee Cox, 26, of Los Alamos at 2500 Trinity Dr., and charged him with criminal sexual penetration of a child 13-16 years of age, trafficking a controlled substance and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.  

 

 

RICHARD SISNEROS

Dec. 7 at 5:31 a.m. / Police arrested Richard Sisneros, 44, of Los Alamos on Walnut Read More

DOJ: Most Violent Offenders Released From State Prison In 2016 Served Less Than 3 Years

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DOJ News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than half (57 percent) of violent offenders who were released from state prison in 2016 served less than three years before their release, the Bureau of Justice Statistics has announced. About 1 in 25 violent offenders served 20 years or more before their release.
 
These findings are based on prisoner records from BJS’s National Corrections Reporting Program and reflect 2016 releases. They are based on state prisoners’ initial release after serving time for a given offense and exclude persons who had been released after serving time for an offense,
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AG Balderas Secures Jail Sentence For Woman Who Stole Thousands Of Dollars From Elderly Patients

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Attorney General Hector Balderas

From the Office of the Attorney General:

ALBUQUERQUE – Attorney General Hector Balderas has announced that Leanne Bennett was sentenced to one and a half years in the department of corrections for stealing from elderly patients who suffered from dementia.

The Office of the Attorney General secured 11 felony convictions against Bennett for stealing more than $30,000 from elderly residents while working as an office manager at the Rehabilitation Center of Albuquerque between 2012 and 2013.

Bennett was sentenced by Judge Charles Brown to one and a half years Read More

Los Alamos Police Blotter: Nov. 28 To Dec. 2, 2018

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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.

JAMES JOHNSON

Nov. 28 at 9:43 p.m. / Espanola Police arrested James Johnson, 18, of Ohkay Owingeh in an Espanola Court on an outstanding District Court warrant.

 

 

JOSEPH CHAVEZ

Nov. 29 at 5:31 p.m. / Police arrested Joseph Chavez, 29, of Santa Cruz on Alamo Road on an outstanding District Court warrant and charged him with two counts of possession of a controlled substance. Read More

Supreme Court Suggests Sanctions For Deficient Legal Briefs In Appeals

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NMSC News:
 
SANTA FE ― The New Mexico Supreme Court has advised state courts to impose appropriate sanctions on attorneys who submit deficient legal briefs in cases.
 
“No appellate court or district court should ever hesitate to return briefing or order rebriefing with a short deadline when briefing is unclear or lacks citations or is otherwise unprofessional,” the state’s highest court wrote in an opinion written by Justice Gary L. Clingman.
 
The court’s admonishment came in a unanimous ruling that affirmed a district court’s denial of a petition for a writ of habeas corpus
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FBI: Drug Addict From Grant County Sentenced To Prison For Illegally Possessing Firearms And Ammo

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FBI News:
 
ALBUQUERQUE ― Richard Dinwiddie, 58, of Cliff, has been sentenced in Federal Court in Las Cruces to 15 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for being a drug addict in possession of firearms and ammunition.
 
Dinwiddie pled guilty June 28. He admitted that federal and local law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his residence Feb. 5 and found approximately six firearms, approximately 1,000 rounds of ammunition, 4.5 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Dinwiddie also admitted that he had been a methamphetamine
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Supreme Court To Hear Timbs v. Indiana, Groundbreaking Case Challenging Constitutionality Of Justice System Fines

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NMSC News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― The Supreme Court of the United States of America this week will hear Timbs v. Indiana, a case concerning the constitutionality of excessive fines and fees by local and state governments.
 
Juvenile Law Center led an amicus effort to educate the Court on how exorbitant fines and fees in the juvenile justice system affect youth and their families. Forty other youth advocacy organizations joined the Center’s amicus effort.
 
“Across the country, youth are pushed into the justice system and even into correctional settings because they can’t afford
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Los Alamos Police Blotter: Nov. 21 To Nov. 27, 2018

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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.

AUSTIN LEE COX

Nov. 21 at 12:18 p.m. / Police arrested Austin Lee Cox, 26, of Los Alamos at 2500 Trinity Dr., on an outstanding Magistrate Court warrant and charged him with possession of a controlled substance.

 

 

ELLIOTT JOHN CHEE

Nov. 23 at 5:17 p.m. / Police arrested Elliott John Chee, 32, of Los Alamos at Oppenheimer and Trinity Drive and charged him with DUI and driving Read More