Courts

Santa Fe National Forest Faces Lawsuit For Allowing Trespass Livestock Into Valles Caldera National Preserve

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Trespass livestock grazing in May in VCNP. Courtesy/Caldera Action

COURT News:

            • Lawsuit follows years of inaction by the Forest Service to prevent livestock from illegally entering the Preserve

SANTA FE — WildEarth Guardians, Western Watersheds Project, and Caldera Action are taking legal action against the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for violating the Endangered Species Act by allowing livestock to illegally graze in the Valles Caldera National Preserve located in northern New Mexico.

The lawsuit follows years of inaction by the Forest Service to prevent Read More

New Mexico State Police Participate In C.A.R.E. Operation

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NMSP News:

During the Memorial Day holiday, the New Mexico State Police participated in the Combined Accident Reduction Effort (C.A.R.E.) operation across all roadways within the state.

The goal of the traffic initiative is to increase motorist safety and reduce the number of crashes through a strong law enforcement presence.

Due to the increased volume of traffic during the holiday, NMSP increased its patrol presence during this initiative on roadways throughout all State Police districts on the busiest travel days of the Memorial Day weekend, specifically Friday, May 24, through Monday, Read More

New Mexico State Police Arrest Man For Crime Against Child

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NMSP News:

CHAVES COUNTY – At approximately 7 p.m., May 23, 2024, New Mexico State Police (NMSP) learned about a BOLO (Be on the Lookout) for a male who had an active warrant for aggravated sexual assault of a child out of Midland County, Texas, who was possibly traveling through southern New Mexico enroute to Albuquerque.

The suspected driver was identified as Kyle Junker, 23, who had an active felony warrant for aggravated sexual assault of a child out of Midland County, Texas.

After receiving the BOLO, NMSP officers located the vehicle approximately 15 minutes after the BOLO was released on Read More

FBI: Preventing Laser Strikes On Aircraft

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This FBI Los Angeles image depicts what green laser glare looks like from a pilot’s perspective at 2,600 feet. Courtesy/FBI

FBI News:

The FBI is reminding you to keep laser pointers out of the sky. Here’s why. 

When laser beams are aimed at any piloted aircraft, whether military or commercial, what might seem like a tiny beam on the ground can blind aircrew, potentially causing a midair collision or other incident.  

In 2023 alone, the Federal Aviation Administration (or FAA) received more than 13,000 reports of laser strikes. And the U.S. Air Force Safety Center’s webpage dedicated to the issue Read More

Los Alamos Elementary Schools Visit Municipal Justice Center To Learn About Law Enforcement & Judicial System

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School Resource Officer Samantha Terrazas with the Los Alamos Police Department explains to students what the LAPD does. Courtesy photo

Municipal Judge Elizabeth Allen and students participate in a mock trial of the ‘Three Little Pigs’. Courtesy photo

Los Alamos Municipal Court News:

The Los Alamos Municipal Court and Police Department collaborated to give children a glimpse into the criminal justice system during a field trip to the Municipal Justice Center. Throughout April, Judge Elizabeth Allen from the Los Alamos Municipal Court, along with School Resource Officers Samantha Terrazas Read More

Judicial Clerkship’s Summer Externships Underway

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Administrative Office of the Courts:

SANTA FE – Eight law students began summer externships this week as part of the Judicial Clerkship Program, an initiative that provides training, mentorship, and possible clerkships for those traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession.

The New Mexico Supreme Court, the State Bar of New Mexico Committee on Diversity in the Legal Profession, and the Young Lawyers Division jointly manage the Judicial Clerkship Program, now in its fourth year. The externships last 10 weeks.

“The Judicial Clerkship Program is a win – win situation for everyone,” Read More

State Ethics Commission Files Lawsuit Against The New Mexico Project To Enforce Campaign Reporting Act

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SEC News:

ALBUQUERQUE — The New Mexico State Ethics Commission filed a lawsuit against The New Mexico Project (“TNMP”) and Jeff Apodaca to enforce the disclosure provisions of the Campaign Reporting Act (“CRA”).

TNMP, a domestic nonprofit cooperation, or Apodaca spent thousands of dollars on creating and hosting a website and purchased radio and social media advertisements to influence the outcome of elections for at least 15 legislative districts in the New Mexico House of Representatives and Senate.

The CRA requires those who have made aggregate independent expenditures in excess of Read More

FBI: Gallup Man Charged In Shooting Over Barking Dogs

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE – A Gallup man was charged by criminal complaint in connection with a shooting incident that occurred during a confrontation over barking dogs.

Harley Davidson Joe, 38, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, appeared before a federal judge today and was released pending trial.

According to the criminal complaint, on May 11, 2024, three individuals were walking their dogs in Gallup when Joe drove past them in a truck. The dogs began barking at the truck but did not go towards the vehicle. Joe stopped and exited the vehicle and confronted the group about their dogs barking. Read More

State Police Make Arrest In Child Solicitation Case In Clovis

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NMSP News:

Agents with the New Mexico State Police (NMSP) Investigations Bureau, in collaboration with Special Agents with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI), initiated a Child Solicitation investigation May 6, 2024.

Miguel Garza, 26, residing in Clovis, agreed to meet on May 13, 2024 with an undercover investigator posing as a 14-year-old female. Throughout the day, Garza disclosed how he wanted to be sexually intimate with the undercover 14-year-old.

Garza planned on meeting what he believed to be the 14-year-old female at a local hotel. At approximately 8 p.m., Garza Read More

Wildlife Groups Initiate Legal Action: Feds Too Slow To Protect Sonoran Desert Tortoise

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Sonoran desert tortoise having lunch. Photo by Roy Averill Murray/USFWS

WildEarth Guardians News:

  • Species threatened by climate change, livestock grazing, drought, invasive species, development

TUCSON, Ariz.—Today, WildEarth Guardians, Western Watersheds Project, and the Desert Tortoise Council and Tucson Herpetological Society, represented by the Western Environmental Law Center, are asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to reconsider its 2022 decision to deny protective status to the tortoise in the groups’ 60-day notice of intent to sue.

The groups are asking the Service to Read More