Courts

FBI: Woman Charged With Federal Firearms Offense

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock woman was charged by indictment with straw purchase of a firearm which was later used in a murder following a violent day-long crime spree in Gallup.

Brittania Navaho, 28, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, appeared before a federal judge and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.

According to the indictment, on April 24, 2024, Navaho knowingly purchased a firearm on behalf of another person, knowing that person intended to use the firearm in furtherance of a felony.

If convicted of the current charges, Navaho faces up Read More

FBI: Mescalero Man Gets 90 Months For Strangling Woman

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A Mescalero man was sentenced to 90 months in prison after being convicted by a federal jury of assaulting his intimate partner by repeatedly strangling her.

There is no parole in the federal system.

A federal jury convicted Theodore Ian Chavez, IV, Feb. 28, 2024, following a four-day trial.

According to evidence presented at trial and other publicly available court records, in the early morning hours of Aug. 6, 2023, Chavez strangled and assaulted Jane Doe multiple times, resulting in the loss of consciousness and visible bruises.

After the assault, Jane Doe sought Read More

Denish: Who Wins, Who Loses

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By DIANE DENISH
Corner to Corner
© 2024 New Mexico News Services

It’s hard to know who the biggest loser in the Hunter Biden trial might be. Hunter Biden, of course, who was convicted on three felony counts on June 11 by a jury of his Delaware peers, lost the legal case.

Donald Trump lost something bigger; his complaints about two-tiered justice were stopped cold.

During the Biden trial, only snippets of the courtroom drama were reported: who was testifying and to what they were testifying. As with most news, it was hard to get the full context of courtroom action.

What is clear to voters is the split Read More

FBI: Sanostee Man Gets 144 Months In Prison For Beating Friend To Death During Drunken Altercation

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A Sanostee man was sentenced to 144 months in prison after pleading guilty to the beating death of his friend during a drunken altercation.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, June 8, 2022, John Doe went to the residence of Tyrone Atcitty Nez, 34, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, to assist with repairing a water heater. During the visit, John Doe and Nez were drinking together and rough housing.

At one point, John Doe stood up from a seated position, and Nez punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious and causing him to fall to Read More

FBI: Arizona Man Gets 20 Years In Prison For Child Assault

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — An Arizona man was sentenced to 20 years in the Bureau of Prisons for the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl on the Navajo Nation reservation.

There is no parole in the federal system.

Darwin Chee, 53, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, used threats of force and the fear of serious bodily injury to repeatedly sexually assault Jane Doe, a child relative within his care, at a residence located within the exterior boundaries of the Navajo Nation.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Chee will be required to serve a lifetime of supervised release and must register Read More

FBI: Gallup Woman Sentenced To Five Years Probation For Drunken Rollover Crash That Killed Unrestrained Infant

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE – A Gallup woman was sentenced to a five-year term of probation after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter for drunkenly rolling her vehicle and killing an 8-month-old boy who was ejected from the vehicle.

According to court document, on Feb. 11, 2022, Mariah Chapo, 27, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, two friends, and 8-month-old John Doe traveled to collect firewood. When they arrived, the group began drinking alcohol. During this time, John Doe was unrestrained in the back seat.

An argument between the other two members of the group caused Chapo to Read More

FBI: Bloomfield Man Sentenced To Five Years For Federal Firearm And Drug Trafficking Offenses

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE – A Bloomfield man was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to federal firearm and drug trafficking offenses.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, on April 7, 2023, officers with the Bloomfield Police Department observed Jerome Phillips, 34, on a public street in Bloomfield. Knowing Phillips had an outstanding arrest warrant, they approached him. Phillips fled, and officers pursued. During the pursuit, Phillips reached for his waistband and dropped a firearm.

Phillips eventually surrendered Read More

New Mexico Supreme Court Upholds Huble Conviction

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NMSC News:

SANTA FE — The state Supreme Court upheld the first-degree murder conviction of Christopher Huble of Alamogordo, June 10, for killing a man in 2020 he found with his on-again, off-again girlfriend.

The court unanimously rejected Huble’s arguments on appeal that the trial judge wrongly denied a requested jury instruction on what is necessary under the law for a justifiable killing in self-defense.

In a nonprecedential decision written by Chief Justice David K. Thomson, the Court concluded “the evidence offered in this case was not sufficient to warrant an instruction on self-defense.” Read More

New Mexico Supreme Court Rules State Regulator Can Change Rates Proposed By Rural Electric Cooperatives

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New Mexico Supreme Court News:

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled today that the state Public Regulation Commission (PRC) has the power to set rates different from those proposed by a rural electric cooperative.

In a unanimous opinion, the Court upheld the Commission’s decision to reject a $1.25 million rate increase proposed by Socorro Electric Cooperative (SEC) in 2018 and instead adopt a different rate structure for classes of customers without an overall increase in revenue for the utility.

“We conclude that the Commission’s decision to deny SEC’s proposed revenue requirement Read More

New Mexico Supreme Court Announces Pilot Project To Help Arrested People Obtain Care For Mental Illness

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New Mexico Supreme Court News:

LAS CRUCES – A new court-based initiative will help guide people with severe mental illness to appropriate treatment and away from the criminal justice system when they are arrested for misdemeanor offenses in Doña Ana County.

Court and county leaders today announced the competency diversion pilot project in the Doña Ana County Magistrate Court that will focus on adults charged with misdemeanor offenses, such as trespassing and petty theft, who have a history of mental illness and previously have been found incompetent to stand trial on criminal charges. Read More