News From Quemado

By Debbie Leschner

A Quemado High School reunion is being held this weekend, Aug. 7, 8 and 9, at the school.
All locals are invited to attend the weekend activities. The student council and National Honor Society chapter are providing a pancake breakfast from 7 to 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 8.
At noon, the Green family is hosting the luncheon and a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Bill and Karolie Green. Throughout the afternoon, there will be horseshoes and open house of the school. At 3 p.m., the Quemado Historical Society will give a presentation. A dance will begin at 8 p.m. at the Catholic Parish Hall with music provided by Billy Hansen’s Band. There is a $5 charge.
Catron County Trade Days will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, off Highway 12 in Cruzville around mile marker 17. Rusty Roof Bar-B-Que will be cooking.
There will be a Substitute Teachers Workshop from 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, at the Quemado school. The workshop will explain the job and the application process for those who wish to be employed as substitute teachers for the 2009-10 Quemado and Datil school year.
For more information, call the school office at 575-773-4645 or 773-4700.
The Quemado Senior Center will quilt and play bingo Thursday, Aug. 13. Bingo will be played from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Come learn how to quilt or just stitch along with the group. Transportation for Datil seniors will be Thursday at 9:45 a.m. Meet at the Datil school.
Seniors 60 and older and their spouses are eligible to participate in activities and programs. Daily lunch is served at noon with the exception of Thursday (11:50 a.m.) for $2.
Call 773 -4820 before 9:30 a.m. to join them for lunch.
Five Quemado Lake Fire Department volunteer firefighters have completed and been certified in CPR and defibrillator training: Jim Campbell, John Griffin, Don Parker, Don Zetich’s and Steve Ziegler.
The American Heart Association class was in July at the fire hall and was attended by 11 local folks. The instructors were Kori and Jim Henderson. Kori is a flight nurse with Air E Vac and Jim is a retired EMT.
“We have the defibrillators and now people trained to use them” said Fire Chief Jim Campbell.
Two defibrillators were donated to the QLFD a few months ago.
The Western New Mexico Veterans Group is extending its rummage sale to every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout August. The hall is on the corner of Baca and Church streets in Quemado.
People who know of anything going on or a special event in a family or school, please let me know. Good news can’t be shared if it is unknown. Call 773-4119 or send an e-mail to mmquemado@hotmail.com.

News From Quemado

KRQE Investigation: Alamo's Road To Nowhere

KRQE Investigation: Alamo's Road To Nowhere

Developing Story: Alamo Teacher Charged With Molesting Teen

Mountain Mail reports
New Mexico State Police on Wednesday reported the arrest of an Alamo school behavioral specialist on 13 criminal counts, including criminal sexual penetration of a minor.
According to the report, Mark W. Shaddock, 44, of Magdalena, was arrested Tuesday July 28, on charges of molesting a 15 year-old girl.
Shaddock had been a behavior coach at Alamo School when allegations of criminal sexual penetration, criminal sexual contact and other related crimes emerged.
The alleged crimes occurred over a period of three months starting in the spring.
He was arrested by State Police agents on three counts of criminal sexual penetration, three counts of kidnapping, two counts of criminal sexual contact, four counts of child abuse and one count of aggravated stalking.

Photo caption: Mark Shaddock's mug shot courtesy KRQE-TV News 13

Developing Story: Alamo Teacher Charged With Molesting Teen

Jail To See Boost In Staffing

By Mike Sievers
SOCORRO – The county jail should have a full staff in the next few weeks, as the detention center is hiring two new supervisors and one new officer, in addition to replacing two officers who resigned recently.
Socorro County Manager Delilah Walsh said the building is inadequate, and she and Detention Center Director Evangel Maldonado will develop a 10-year plan that includes building a new facility.
In the meantime, Maldonado and Walsh are working on the “little things,” like equipment and maintenance. The county will go out for bid in August for training to certify detention center officers, something that hasn’t been done before in Socorro County.
Walsh gave a report about the jail to the Socorro County Board of Commissioners in a regular meeting Tuesday. She said Manuel Romero of the New Mexico Association of Counties visited the jail for an assessment last Thursday, July 23, and will have a report ready in about a month and a half.
“Overall, the center is vulnerable and not a good facility for the county,” Walsh wrote in a typed report to the commission. “In the short term, we need to address our staffing issue and begin a plan to implement a better administrative structure … In the long term, we have to replace the physical plant, which is not sufficient and is a terrible design.”
Walsh said the long-term goal should be to develop a plan for a judicial and law-enforcement complex that would house the courts, DWI offices, district attorney offices, sheriff’s office and a detention center.
Maldonado reported to the commission that the detention center currently has 47 inmates, with five overflow inmates in Cibola County. The state does not reimburse the county for overflow inmates, Walsh said. She said a good percentage of the inmates are there because of probation violations; Maldonado said the jail has been filling up fast because of the strict probation and parole office in Socorro County.
Walsh plans to ask the commission at its next meeting, 6 p.m. Aug. 11, to move $500,000 into a technology fund that would include upgrading the camera and security systems at the detention center, as well as purchasing intake and processing software for the jail.
The technology fund also would pay to replace the county assessor’s software system, designing a Web site for the county and upgrading the county’s telephone system, which currently costs the county $68,000 per year, Walsh said.
In other business:
• The county adopted a resolution requesting that Valencia County ensure that trucks en route to the proposed Roadrunner Metals Recycling plant near the Rio Communities would take Interstate 25 to Exit 175.
Commissioner Rumaldo Griego had expressed concern at the last meeting that trucks would use Highway 304 through Veguita, resulting in more traffic and damage to the roads. The issue will be decided by the Valencia County Planning and Zoning Commission sometime in August. Griego plans to attend along with Walsh to make the plea again in person.
• The commissioners adopted a resolution supporting an alternate route of the SunZia Southwest Transmission Project. The alternate route would have the 500-kilovolt transmission lines routed through the Arrey-Derry area near Hatch and along the White Sands Missile Range, instead of across the Rio Grande near San Antonio, N.M.
• The commissioners approved the final fiscal year 2009-10 budget with lots of small changes from the state Department of Finance and Administration, according to county Finance Director Roberta Smith. Walsh said the county appears to be in a good cash position with $5.9 million, much of that coming from the federal Payment In Lieu of Taxes program, but much of that money is already committed.
• The commissioners appointed Paul Arteche, Ariel Dickens, Bob Iker, Leo Mendoza and Jim McCord to the Illegal Dumping Task Force. Walsh said the task force is an experimental board, but the county needs that infrastructure in place to make improvements. She said there is no reporting system for illegal dumping, and perhaps that is something this task force could develop.

Jail To See Boost In Staffing

Bobby Olguin, Buckhorn Win Food Network's ‘Throwdown’

By John Larson
A restaurant in San Antonio, N.M., has gained national attention since being featured on the Food Network’s “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” last week.
The program was taped at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge on May 14, when about 100 residents turned out to watch Flay, the popular TV chef, challenge the Buckhorn’s Bobby Olguin to a green chile cheeseburger cook-off.
Two judges, one from Las Cruces and one from Santa Fe, pronounced Olguin’s burger to be the best, but the outcome was kept secret until the program aired Wednesday, July 22.
In a press release, Gov. Bill Richardson congratulated the Buckhorn and cited Olguin’s national attention earned by defeating Flay in the battle for the best green chile cheeseburger.
In recognition of the victory, the governor declared Friday, July 24, 2009, as “Buckhorn Tavern Day.”
“Congratulations to the Buckhorn Tavern and its owner, Bobby Olguin, for the impressive victory over one of the world’s most recognized chefs,” Richardson said in the statement. “Through his win, Mr. Olguin did an excellent job of showcasing one of New Mexico’s culinary treasures, the green chile cheeseburger.”
Richardson visited the Buckhorn Tavern Friday afternoon to personally congratulate Olguin and his staff and to try one of the restaurant’s world-famous green chile cheeseburgers.
“We had to run everybody out at 3 p.m. to get ready for they governor’s visit Friday,” Olguin said. “People were waiting outside in the heat, standing in line to get in for a burger. This is overwhelming.”
“The governor said he was very proud of the way we have represented the state and especially the chile in New Mexico,” he said. “After he awarded me the plaque for Buckhorn Tavern Day, he came into the kitchen and flipped some burgers.”
The gubernatorial proclamation cited the Buckhorn’s growing reputation nationwide.
“The Buckhorn Tavern has earned many accolades in recent years,” the proclamation read, “including being rated as the No. 7 burger in America by Gentlemen’s Quarterly in 2005 and the No. 3 “Baddest Burger in the Land” on the Marlboro.com Nightlife Flavor Roundup earlier this year.”
In the press release, Richardson also announced a statewide competition to determine the best commercial green chile cheeseburger in the state will take place during the 2009 New Mexico State Fair.
“There are so many great green chile cheeseburgers in New Mexico and since everyone has a favorite, the debate over the best is always a passionate one,” Richardson stated. “This friendly competition will put those favorites to the test as they face off head to head.”
Olguin said the Buckhorn will probably opt out of the proposed statewide contest.
“He wants us to challenge everybody in the state, but that’s not going to happen,” he said.
Olguin told the Mountain Mail he will continue doing business as usual.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen since all this” he said. “I shouldn’t say this, but I have to admit the producers (of the Throwdown) really put a nice piece together. They made me look better than I am. So, yeah, I was pleased with the way we (of the Buckhorn) looked.”
Olguin said he was correctly quoted on Albuquerque television when he was asked what a good burger should be.
“I said, ‘a green chile cheeseburger should be like going to heaven and being married to someone you love for the rest of eternity’,” Olguin said.

Photo caption: Bobby Olguin checks on Gov. Bill Richardson as the governor digs into a Buckhorn Burger at Olguin’s Buckhorn Tavern in San Antonio, N.M., last Friday, July 24. Richardson came to the restaurant to congratulate Olguin for his victory on the Food Network’s “Throwdown With Bobby Flay.” Courtesy photo

Bobby Olguin, Buckhorn Win Food Network's ‘Throwdown’

County Honors 30-Year Road Department Veteran

By Mike Sievers
SOCORRO – Billy Wells joked he was afraid his boss was going to ask him to retire. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The Socorro County Board of Commissioners handed Wells a certificate of appreciation Tuesday night for his 30 years of work with the Socorro County Road Department.
“If I had all employees like Billy, I wouldn’t have too hard of a job,” his boss, county Road Superintendent Marty Greenwood said at the commission meeting. “I told him he couldn’t retire until he had a replacement as good as him.”
Commission Vice Chairman Danny Monette, who chaired Tuesday’s meeting, presented Wells with some wrapped gifts.
“Here’s a couple of gifts, but don’t open them in front of Marty,” Monette joked.
Wells maintains about 245 miles of road, the last time he measured, in the Claunch area of eastern Socorro County, all dirt roads. Claunch is a two-hour drive from Socorro.
Billy said his son Wendell Wells lives in the Claunch area as well.
“Basically, he takes care of himself out there,” Greenwood said of Billy. “He’s really reliable. He checks in with us, but we don’t usually check on him. We never have any complaints about the roads out there.”
Greenwood has been with the road department off and on since 1989, taking over the road superintendent position again after the departure of Leroy Anaya this past January. Billy said the road department has always helped him when he needed help.
“I appreciate the county being there for me for all these years,” Billy said. “They come and help me if I get in a jam; they help me clear out cattle guards and things like that. My main job is working with the grader.”
Billy said the population of the Claunch area has dwindled over the years, but there are still roads to maintain, and he has good neighbors there, as well as family.
Greenwood said Billy has been a bit suspicious about the road department’s motivation for bringing him to a county commission meeting.
“He thinks we’re trying to get him to retire, and that’s not the case,” Greenwood said.
“I did joke with him that they’re probably going to give me my walking papers,” Billy said.
Greenwood said Billy will be hard to replace
“I don’t know how we’re going to fill his shoes,” Greenwood said. “I hope it doesn’t come (Wells’ retirement) for a while).”
Arthur Gonzales of the road department agreed.
“He’s one of the best workers we’ve ever had,” Gonzales said.
Greenwood said there have been other employees who have put in many years with the department, with Vincent Peralta and Leroy Anaya working more than 25 years.

Photo 1 caption: Billy Wells and his granddaughter Rebecca Wells pose in a recent photograph. The Socorro County Board of Commissioners honored Billy for his 30 years of service to the county Road Department during Tuesday night’s county commission meeting. Courtesy photo

Photo 2 caption: Billy Wells at the county commission meeting with his gifts from the commissioners. Photo courtesy Socorro County Manager Delilah Walsh

County Honors 30-Year Road Department Veteran

Man Arrested In Mag For Receiving $14,000 In Stolen Goods

By John Larson
MAGDALENA – An Albuquerque man was arrested last Friday, July 17, for receiving stolen property worth $14,000.
Marshal Larry Cearley told the Mountain Mail he was notified that a set of Dymax tree shears that had been stolen from equipment on Highway 60 on March 11 had been found.
“The shears were attached to a Bobcat and were being used to cut down trees along the highway,” Cearley said.
According to the criminal complaint, Tristan Hawkins, 25, of Horse Springs came to the marshal’s office in Magdalena with another man, Harvey Platt, of Datil.
The equipment was being stored on Platt’s ranch, Cearley said.
“Mr. Platt is not connected to the case in any way,” he said.
The Dymax tree shears matched the description of the missing shears. The owner identified the shears, and a VIN check verified they had been reported stolen.
The case was then turned over to officer Steve Carter of the New Mexico State Police.
During questioning, Hawkins said he had purchased the shears for $280 from “a man in Lemitar” near the Tumbleweed Auction yard.
Hawkins was arrested and transported to the Socorro County Detention Center. He was released the following day after posting a $15,000 bond. His preliminary hearing is Tuesday, Aug. 4, in Magistrate Court.
Cearley said the investigation is continuing, and the case could lead to solving the thefts of other pieces of heavy equipment, such as Bobcats and bulldozers. A construction business in Albuquerque suspected in the thefts has been ordered to close, according to Cearley.
“The total could run up as high as $250,000 stolen,” he said.
Hawkins’ charge of receiving stolen property worth over $2,500 but less than $20,000 is a third-degree felony.

Man Arrested In Mag For Receiving $14,000 In Stolen Goods

Woman Dies In I-25 Rollover Near Bernardo

Mountain Mail reports
Officers from the Socorro County Sheriff’s Department assisted State Police and rescue workers with a rollover accident involving a fatality on Interstate 25 on Tuesday morning.
Carole E. Tapp, 38, of Luther, Okla., was fatally injured when the vehicle in which she was a passenger crashed.
According to State Police, the crash occurred just before 9 a.m. on the southbound lanes near mile marker 175, just south of the Bernardo exit.
Barry Tapp, 62, was traveling southbound in his 2008 Ford pickup pulling a trailer when he lost control of the vehicle after he fell asleep, and he drove into the median.
The police report said Tapp overcorrected back onto the roadway, putting the pickup and trailer into a counterclockwise skid, subsequently rolling multiple times and coming to rest on its roof.
“During the rolling of the pickup and trailer, the driver and passenger were partially ejected and rolled with the pickup,” the report stated.
Barry Tapp was airlifted to University Medical Hospital in Albuquerque for severe body lacerations, and he was listed in critical condition as of press time. Carole Tapp was pronounced dead on scene by the state Office of the Medical Investigator.
Police said seatbelts were used at the time of the crash, and alcohol was not a contributing factor.

Woman Dies In I-25 Rollover Near Bernardo

Local Man, Woman Bound Over On Drug Charges

By John Larson
SOCORRO – A local man and woman were bound over to District Court on drug-related charges after a preliminary hearing before Magistrate Judge Jim Naranjo on Wednesday.
Travis Anderson, 18, and Amy Gaytan, 20, were both arrested in their apartment early Friday, July 24, following an investigation by Socorro Police Officer Rocky Fernandez.
They were both charged with one count of trafficking crack cocaine, one count of child endangerment, two counts of possessing medication without a prescription and one count of possessing drug paraphernalia.
According to the criminal complaint, Anderson and Gayton were in bed, along with a small child, when police served the search warrant on their apartment at 1212 El Camino Real.
Anderson was handcuffed and removed to the living room, while Gaytan was allowed to get dressed in the presence of Officer Brandi Perkins.
The complaint said after being read his rights, Anderson refused to give officers any information pertaining to the location of drugs and paraphernalia.
After Gaytan was read her rights, she admitted the drugs were in her purse, where officers found several baggies containing crack cocaine and prescription medication. Located elsewhere in the apartment were a rolled up dollar bill with residue, an electronic scale, an amount of marijuana and cash totaling $704.
All evidence was confiscated and logged into the evidence room at the police department.
The child was picked up by Gaytan’s mother.
Detective Richard Lopez told the Mountain Mail the department is considering the seizure of any property connected with a drug-related crime.
“We are making plans to start seizing people’s homes and vehicles, like it is done in Albuquerque, where it seems to be working,” Lopez said. “The message is, if we can’t stop you, we’ll make you want to move. People don’t want to be losing their homes and cars. If this is the way we have to do it, this the way we’ll do it.”
Police Chief George Van Winkle said the Socorro Police Department is determined to reduce drug activity in the community.

Local Man, Woman Bound Over On Drug Charges

Public Health Office Grand Reopening

Socorro County Manager Delilah Walsh prepares to handle the ribbon-cutting duties at the entrance to the newly renovated Socorro County Health Department building at 214 Neel Ave. The $900,000 project was completed through the joint efforts of the state Health Department and the Socorro County Commission. Taking part in the ceremony were (from left): state Rep. Don Tripp, Commission Vice Chairman Danny Monette, Walsh, Chief Nurse Ruth Guin, social worker Pamela Doster and Project Manager Patrick Stafford. Photo by John Larson/Mountain Mail

Public Health Office Grand Reopening