SOCORRO – The man and his accomplice who robbed the Pump ‘n Save gas station of $200 in cash Thursday, July 1, were arraigned in Magistrate Court last Friday.
Joseph Chavez, 44, of Albuquerque was charged with robbery, aggravated battery, conspiracy, and two counts of resisting arrest.
Eileen Vargas, 42, of Socorro was charged with robbery and conspiracy.
According to the criminal complaint, Chavez was at the Pump ‘n Save on South California at about 4:20 p.m., and told the clerk at knife point, “sorry but I need the money in the drawer,” and “I don’t want to hurt you.”
The clerk stated she was ringing up items Chavez had placed on the counter when he went around to the open portion of the counter brandishing the knife.
She told police she thought the knife had a four inch blade, which Chavez pressed against her, pushing her away to get at some cigarettes behind the counter.
He also stole some candy, and a Coke.
Chavez put the money and items into a (stolen) Styrofoam ice chest and ran out of the store. He got into a white Dodge extended cab driven by Vargas, and was seen by two customers to drive north on Sixth Street.
In the complaint, officer Kenneth Greenwood stated that State Police, Sheriff’s Department and city police were notified of the armed robbery and to be on the lookout for the pickup.
Chief Deputy Sheriff Shorty Vaiza said he was returning from a call in Veguita on Interstate 25 when he received the description of the vehicle.
“After they gave me more information on the truck, I realized I knew the truck and the driver,” Vaiza said. “I had it pulled over about an hour earlier for driving erratically on I-25 southbound. I met with the driver and recognized her as a local woman, Eileen Vargas of Socorro.”
Vaiza said after speaking with the woman and making sure she was fine, “I let her go.”
“An hour later I was looking for the same pickup, and saw it heading north at about 4:40.
“It no longer had a license plate,” he said. “I gave pursuit and it eventually pulled over into the Walking Sands Rest Area.”
Vaiza said he unholstered his weapon and ordered the driver to throw the keys out of the vehicle.
“I could see the male passenger fight with her to keep her from throwing the keys out, but she eventually did,” he said. “Then Joseph Chavez gets out on the passenger side and he’s got money in his hands and starts throwing the money at me. When I saw he had no weapon I holstered my weapon. Then he rushes me, and we get into a little scuffle.”
Vaiza was able to subdue Chavez, who backed into a cable bordering the parking area, and a bystander at the rest stop helped hold Chavez’s arm on the ground while he was handcuffed.
“He was a great help and I appreciated the assistance,” he said. “Other people helped pick up the money that was blowing around.”
Chavez, Vargas, and another passenger, Erica Vargas, were transported to the Socorro Police Department, where Chavez was questioned by Detective Richard Lopez.
Greenwood, in the criminal complaint, said while he was working on paperwork, “I heard what sounded like a struggle coming from Sgt. Lopez’s office.
“I entered [the office] and observed Sgt. Lopez in a struggle with Joseph. I removed my duty issued Taser and drive stunned Joseph in the middle of his back to gain compliance.”
Chavez was incarcerated after being cleared at Socorro General Hospital, along with Eileen Vargas. Erica Chavez was not charged.
“Erica stated she told her mother Eileen to stop the vehicle because Joseph has just robbed the store,” the complaint said. “[She] stated both Eileen and Joseph told her not to worry, that they would not get caught.”
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Two Charged In Convenience Store Robbery
Socorro Man Arrested On Identity Theft Charges
SOCORRO – A local man was arrested Thursday, July 1, on charges relating to identity theft following an investigation by Socorro Police officers.
Charles Harper Lee, 37, is being held on seven counts of fraud, one count of theft, one count of larceny, one count of the disposing of stolen property, and two counts of conspiracy.
According to the criminal complaint, Lee attempted to open accounts with Wal-Mart Credit, Barclay Bank, Capitol One, First Premier, and Sears Credit; all using Social Security numbers of the individual victims.
In addition, the complaint said Lee used the identifiers of another victim to order a Verizon Blackberry cell phone, stole the driver’s license of another victim, and conspired with his brother-in-law and sister to pull off the felonies.
Lopez said the tip-off came Thursday when one of the victims reported to police that someone tried to open an account with First National Bank of Omaha using his Social Security number. Lopez called the bank and spoke with its fraud investigator and was faxed paperwork pertaining to the account request.
“A few minutes after speaking with [the bank official] two male subjects entered the Police Department … regarding similar incidences,” Lopez’s report said.
One man said his credit monitoring system showed that several accounts had been opened using his identifiers, and the other man said he found that a “Charles Lee” from Socorro had also attempted to open accounts in his name.
Lopez said in the complaint he had previous knowledge of Charles Lee and where he lived.
“While en route to his residence I located Charles Lee traveling south on California near Otero,” Lopez stated in the report.
After pulling Lee over, Lopez questioned him about the information and evidence he had against him. “Charles admitted to trying to open the accounts,” and that he had conspired with his brother-in-law, the criminal complaint said.
Lee then offered to participate in controlled narcotics buys for police with the condition he would not have to go to jail. That proposition was quickly rejected when police dispatcher Carlos Valenzuela saw Lee hide something in a hole in the cinder block wall in the police department parking lot, which turned out to be a California driver’s license be-longing to someone else; a neighbor of Lee in his apartment complex at 1101 El Camino Real.
Lee first said he found the license in a Wal-Mart bag in a dumpster, and then said he found it in a box in a shed at the apartment complex. Lopez told Lee he “could not have him lying to me if he was going to be operating as a confidential informant.”
A message was left for the license’s owner in California.
When asked if there was any other evidence of stolen identifiers at his residence, Lee said no, and agreed to let his apartment be searched.
A search of the apartment turned up a Verizon Blackberry cell phone which was found to be purchased by Lee’s sister using the identity of yet another person.
Lee was placed under arrest and incarcerated.
While completing paperwork on Lee, Lopez received a call from the owner of the driver’s license, who said he left his license in his desk in his apartment.
“Therefore Lee had to have gotten the license from that apartment,” Lopez said.
He said that personal information such as bank accounts and Social Security numbers can be stolen from mailboxes, and even during home break-ins.
Lopez encouraged the public, especially persons living in the vicinity of the apartment complex on El Camino Real, should check their credit scores and credit card companies.
Nothing Like An Old Timer’s Reunion
MAGDALENA – No matter what the weather – come rain or come shine- nothing puts a damper on the fun locals and visitors can have at this year’s Old Timers Reunion weekend.
The annual three day village party returns for its 39th year with rodeos, music, family fun, and, of course, the barbecue.
The complete overview of the Reunion can be found in the Mountain Mail Express as well as full schedule. Below are the final two activities that can be found during the weekend.
Arts and Crafts
The Magdalena Community Center on the rodeo grounds will once again offer an abundance of some of the finest arts and crafts to be found in New Mexico during Old Timers Reunion weekend.
Organizer Donna Dawson said many of last year’s participants will be returning.
“We get craftspersons and artists from all over Socorro and Catron counties and beyond,” she said. “You can expect a little bit of everything, and there will be lots to look over.”
Dawson expects the building to be bustling with visitors, both inside and out.
Inside the Arts & Crafts building: Smoake’s Honey from Lemitar, Desperados Silver, Earl Harvey, author of “What Happened To Charlie?”, Jean Ford – pencil drawings, Amy Stephens – braided rugs, Beverly Whitlow – Datil painter and photographer, Allen Aragon – jewelry, Navajo Arts and Crafts Enterprise (NACE), Nancy Coggeshall – author of Gila Country Legend, Donna Dawson – engraved glass, Fred Resler – woodwork.
Vendors outside include:
Little Mike’s, Navajo Tacos and Frybread, J.J.’s, Matt Montgomery, Justin’s Funnel Cakes, Eddie, David and Rose Rael, Duke City, JR’s Lemonade, Republican Party, High Country Propane Informational booth, and Socorro Electric Cooperative Informational booth
Also available in the Arts and Crafts building will be Old Timers Reunion t-shirts, cookbooks, and mugs.
Outside the building are additional vendors, selling everything from prickly pear jelly to novelties and toys.
“So far we a lot of the regular vendors signed up,” Dawson said. “Of course, we’ll have the usual food vendors, including roasted corn, fry bread, Navajo tacos, and much more.”
Raffle tickets for the Queen’s Quilt, donated by the Magdalena Quilters, can be purchased for $2.
Indian Village
The Indian Village, located south of the rodeo arena, will be providing the Old Timers crowd with a wide variety of Native American food and local music.
From fry bread to mutton to Navajo burgers and tacos, Old Timers visitors will be well fed with mouth-watering fare from popular Alamo vendors.
Organizer Wanda Mansell said the regular food vendors have signed on, and a band is coming from Monument Valley, Utah.
“They’re called The Renegade Boys and they will be playing two or three times Friday and again at eight o’clock Saturday night,” Mansell said.
There will also be horseshoe throwing pits next to Indian Village, set up by Gerald Ganadonegro.
He said horseshoe throwing had been a popular pastime at Old Timers in years past and he wanted to bring it back.
“There is a ten dollar entry fee, and prizes will be given to first,
second and third place,” Ganadonegro said. “Just be there at about one o’clock after the parade Saturday.”
Co-op Files Suit Against Its Members
SOCORRO -- Dennis Francish, the co-op attorney, finally filed suit to test the validity of three by-law amendments that were passed by members at the annual meeting on April 17.
The suit was filed in the 13th Judicial District Court in the County of Valencia on July 6 in a letter received at the Mountain Mail late Wednesday.
The SEC is listed as the plaintiff. And the defendants are Charlene West, members of the Socorro Electric Cooperative, the Mountain Mail and the El Defensor Chieftain.
The civil lawsuit was entered in court by the SEC, whose objective is to obtain the Court’s declaratory judgment and injunctive relief invalidating and voiding certain by-law amendments.
The bylaw amendments required the SEC to:
1. Abide by the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act and the New Mexico Open Meetings Act;
2. Permit the press and the members to participate in and be present during regular and special Board of Trustee meetings.
3. Guarantee transparency of actions with open access to SEC books, records, audits to members for a proper non-commercial purpose except those which would violate the Privacy Acts.
Francish had gotten the go-ahead from the Board of Trustees two months ago to submit the paperwork to test the validity of the bylaw amendments in a court of law.
“I think it’s a shame that the co-op board is following this gentleman (Francish) who is quite obviously after nothing but a good paycheck and really cares nothing about anyone involved on either side of this issue,” Mountain Mail publisher Gary Jaramillo said.
When reached Wednesday, West said, “unbelievable”.
“They are out to persecute me. It is a witchhunt and they have made me the witch.”
Water Problems Continue At Alamo-Navajo Reservation
By Nathalie NanceFor the Mountain Mail
Scarcity, and water tasting like chlorine have lately been recurring complaints from Alamo residents. However, a low water supply is not a new problem, according to Alamo Navajo School board, Inc. (ANSBI) Executive Director Michael Hawkes.
“Use always escalates in summer,” Hawkes said.
This is mainly due to people using water for their gardens and livestock. Alamo has five wells, which produce more than four million gallons of water per month. The output is constant, but increasing use causes low supply. Some areas, like the so-called UFO area, have been more affected than others. In addition, when windmills filling stock tanks blew down during windstorms, it left some users at the end of a water supply line without water. When this happens, or when the water is turned off in connection with repairs, anyone can come to the water building and fill up water, Hawkes said.
Moreover, frequent power outages tend to drain tanks and there also have been cases of vandalism, when some one has drilled or shot holes in the tanks.
More importantly, the pipelines have been in a state of disrepair for some time, because of no revenues coming in. To deal with this, ANSBI and the Alamo Chapter formed the Alamo Water Users Association in September last year and introduced a monthly flat rate of $22 for water use. However, currently, only 60-70 percent of the households pay, according to Hawkes. The water bills have upset some people.
“It is true that some people are not willing to pay,” said Chapter President Scott Apachito.
However, a revenue base is necessary for water maintenance, and to apply for federal grant money in order to gradually repair all the water lines and to restore tanks.
“We also need to do an aquifer study,” Hawkes said. “But right now, we have the highest water quality since September. The water here used to be brown.”
According to Scott Apachito, the focus will be on the possibility of drilling more wells, hopefully within two years. He adds that anyone can volunteer on the board of the Alamo Water Users Association and that everyone is welcome to attend the quarterly meetings.
As far as the complaints of too much chlorine in the water, there is regular testing every month to decide how the water needs to be treated. In fact, according to Hawkes, if water smells like chlorine, it most often means that too little chlorine has been added.
“Right now we are trying as much as we can to get the water back to normal, but it is important to remember that the water is intended for personal use and not for commercial use, like stock and gardens”, says Scott Apachito.
Marcus Pino, who is responsible for maintaining the water system, often comes across people on the reservation watering their cows and horses.
“Water them every two days, not every day, and try to think about other people,” is his advice.
County Loses $500,000 In PILT Funds
Socorro County was expecting to receive $1.5 million in PILT money from the Department of Interior.
But at Thursday’s special County Commission meeting, county manager Delilah Walsh announced the bad news.
The county was only going to receive $1 million, a 35 percent cut, for the next two years.
Walsh said the county will suffer delays and cuts in the budget for the next two years.
“Our county does have reserves while others do not,” Walsh said.
Finance director Roberta Smith suggested that raises be cut and have a hiring freeze, but do not include layoffs.
But the news is not all bad.
Walsh said in an interview Wednesday that the county has enough money in reserve to cover the shortfall and services will not be cut.
“We are actually in good shape because we have enough in reserve,” Walsh said. “Other counties are in trouble because they don’t have enough. I know that Rio Arriba County lost something like $1.2 million.”
Walsh said most of the county managers were surprised. They received the PILT money on June 29 and when the county received the money, Walsh said, “I thought it was a mistake.”
What happened was the federal government recalculated how the money would be distributed to different states, Walsh said.
Walsh said there would be a budget meeting on Thursday for all department heads to discuss the matter.
“We are OK this year, but I am worried about the next fiscal year,” Walsh said. “Since we are getting $1 million, we are probably getting $1 million next year as well. So we have to adapt.”
PILT stands for “Payments In Lieu of Taxes,” which are federal payments to local governments that held offset losses in property taxes due to nontaxable federal lands within their boundaries.
In the meantime, Walsh and Smith have sent out memos to department heads, discussing the cuts.
In other business, the county approved a resolution regarding the investment of funds at Wells Fargo Bank and First State Bank. The commissioners decided on an option that would put $2 million in First State at .4 percent for one year, $1 million to First State for 180 days at .35 percent and another $2 million to Wells Fargo at .25 percent.
The county also approved a contract regarding county attorney services. It was approved with an amendment that would go from one year to four years with a 30-day withdrawal period.
Members of the New Mexico Tech sorority Alpha Sigma Kappa spent Friday and Saturday carhopping for tips as part of a fundraiser for the organization’s activities next semester. Student Brittani Romero said the effort brought in about $1,000 to support the social and academics aims of the sorority.Mountain Mail photo
Journey Of Hope Makes Stop In Socorro
SOCORRO -- The Journey of Hope cycling team made its stop in Socorro Tuesday, stopping at the Comfort Inn for the night after a 130-mile stage that began in Reserve in the morning.
The Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity has a team of 25 cyclists and seven crew members that are making their way across the country to raise that raises funds and awareness on behalf of people with disabilities in hopes to enhance the quality of their lives.
According to Mike Roux, who is doing public relations for Journey of Hope, they have raised $485,000.
There are two other tours of the United States that are going on simultaneously and they are going to meet in Washington, D.C. on the steps of the Capitol at 11 a.m. on Aug. 14.
“It’s going to be a pretty big deal,” Roux said.
For now, the Journey of Hope team left Socorro Wednesday morning at 6 and headed to Carrizozo.
Tuesday’s stage was the longest of the whole tour, Roux said.
“When we got to Datil, it got really windy,” said rider Corey Dickson from Fort Collins, Colo., who attends Colorado State. “It wasn’t too bad though. All of us are getting in better shape since we started.”
The tour started in San Francisco and the Journey of Hope team made its way down the Pacific Coast Highway. They also made it through Arizona where temperatures reached close to 115 degrees.
Coming to Socorro was a relief, Dickson said.
“This feels great,” he said. “It was so hot in Arizona and this wind just feels so much better.”
Walking around the cyclists in the parking lot of the Comfort Inn, one rider, though was complaining about coming down the hill from Magdalena.
“The wind was so strong that we were only going 15 miles per hour down the hill,” the cyclist said.
Before coming to Reserve on Tuesday, the team had gone from Globe, Ariz., to Lakeside, Ariz., to Reserve.
“Those mountains were pretty big,” Roux said. “Our main concern is safety and that is our biggest priority.”
Journey of Hope, organized by Push America , is a cycling trek. Push America is the national philanthropy of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. Every cyclist commits to raising at least $5,000 on behalf of people with disabilities. Combine their individual efforts with corporate sponsorships and the Journey of Hope team will raise more than $500,000 for people with disabilities.
Coffee Shop Gets New Owners
Socorro’s venerable coffee shop between California Street and the Plaza is going through another incarnation after being sold June 26 by Patty Frisch.
The new owners of Manzanares Street Coffeehouse, Eileen Comstock and Warren Marts, are known and respected by most everybody in Socorro.
Marts has been active in Socorro’s theater scene for many years, and Comstock is known as the director of the Community Band, as well as her work in the medical community.
According to Marts, there will not be a big difference in the operation of the coffeehouse, but there may be a couple of new faces behind the counter.
“Six of the eight staff members are staying on,” he said. “We will basically have the same menu with some new baked goods added.”
He said all the favorites from the old menu will remain, including gelato.
Marts, who admits he has been a coffee fanatic since buying his first espresso machine in 1991, said the quality of the coffee beans is important to him.
“We will always have fresh whole roasted beans from our supplier. We grind them here and try to use them up within two weeks of being roasted,” he said. “We’ve added a new organic coffee from Guatemala There’s nothing better than fresh roasted coffee.”
Although Marts, as the on site manager, has an office upstairs, regular customers may see him working on the coffee shop floor at one of the tables.
“I’m happy to have everything the way it has been,” he said. “It’s a nice place to sit and have a great cup of coffee.”
OPINION: 66 Gallons Of Milk On The Wall
By Don Wiltshire
Well, I have only sixty-five gallon jugs painted red: one for every year that I’ve been crawling around on this blue planet that we call Earth. It seems that the best use of them would be to festoon the deck of the library around the San Augustin Water Coalition booth. Carol Pittman will be at the booth on Saturday, July 10, from noon till late afternoon for the Magdalena Old Timer’s Celebration. If you’re not familiar with these insane “water grab” situations and the efforts of the SAWC to put a halt to them, stop by and find out. Condolences and support will be greatly appreciated.
The sixty-five red water jugs will represent the water that would be ripped from our aquifer in 1/10th of one second. At this rate, my dream of having enough red water jugs to line up, side-by-side from Datil to the State Engineer’s Litigation Unit in Santa Fe will be realized in the year 4571. That would represent the amount of water that the San Augustin Ranch LLC wants to drain from our aquifer in just one hour.
Just looking at all of this “throw away” plastic is beginning to make me a bit queasy. There has been so much disposable plastic making its way into the Pacific Ocean, that a swirling eddy of discarded plastic, twice the size of Texas, has accumulated in its center: plastic water bottles, Styrofoam cups, shopping bags, food wraps, diaper linings, fast food containers, plastic spoons and forks, soda containers, garbage bags, plastic chopsticks, broken coolers and on and on. The effect of the decomposition of all of this plastic (even before it is so cavalierly tossed aside) is of great concern to some.
This decomposition, which is happening inside of your plastic water bottles, even as we speak, releases potentially toxic bisphenol A (BPA) and PS oligomer. These substances have been shown to disrupt the functioning of hormones in animals and can seriously affect reproductive systems.
Many think that only alternative to this disposable society is one with peasants (complete with faded flannel jackets and babushkas) waiting in long lines to refill their glass or ceramic containers from large tank cars. It doesn’t have to be this way. I’m old enough to remember returnable glass jugs for milk and chicken feed that came in cloth bags with printed patterns for making clothing or stuffed toys.
We finally have another attempt at recycling here in Magdalena. A recycling bin for aluminum cans has been placed at the corner of 8th Street and Spruce (that’s the one that’s paved all the way to its end, just east of Main Street). This is being sponsored by the Grizz Project. All proceeds will be used for their good works to relieve the suffering of and to find good homes for dogs, cats and horses in the Magdalena area.
Last week, at our biweekly “water” meeting, Ian Jenness gave us much to think about, and much to do to collect our precious rain water. For those of us who really, really enjoy our “plant friends,” rainwater collection is a good way to provide all of the water that they need without “breaking the bank.” Plants also seem to enjoy the slight acidity of rainwater which prevents calcium build-up around their roots (much like what happens in our water heaters and our toilets).
The next Water Meeting will be on July 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the Magdalena Public Library. Cheryl Hastings will present a series of recorded interviews and lectures by Vandana Shiva. I’ve seen some of these sound-bite clips and they are indeed, “food for thought.”
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Vandana Shiva, she is a water activist from India who was outraged at the attempted privatization of her Sacred River, the Ganges.
She firmly believes that water, like air, is a common resource to be shared by all to maintain life. She has given this situation much thought and meditation. Her comments are insightful, “to the point” and inclusive of a much broader world-view: she certainly doesn’t pull her punches. She is to be listened to with the heart as much as with the mind.
Cheryl will also offer us a look at her interpretations of water in photographs at her gallery (right next to our Marshal’s office) throughout the month of July. So much to do in our little Village!
If you have any comments, problems, solutions, upcoming events or Empty Milk Jugs, contact me at mtn_don@yahoo.com.
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