Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 123, No. 175 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
July 22, 2014
TUESDAY
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Parents of boy attacked by dogs file claim against Roswell BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
A Roswell law firm has taken the first step toward suing the city of Roswell in connection to the pit bull attack last month of a Roswell boy that reportedly left the boy physically and emotionally scarred. The Jones Witt & Ragsdale law firm last week sent Roswell Mayor Dennis Kintigh a tort claim notice notifying the mayor and other city leaders the law fir m intends to proceed with litigation against the city. A tort claim is a necessary first step for initiating
legal actions against a governmental agency under New Mexico law. The claim against the city will be on behalf of the parents of Colby Prince, states the tort claim notice received by the city on July 14. The claim states the city bears responsibility for releasing dogs known to be “dangerous and vicious” to an outside group. Authorities said at least two, and possibly three, of the pit bulls released by the city’s animal shelter later attacked 9-year-old Colby the mor ning of June 11 near his home in the 5000 block of Vista Lane. Colby is the son of Roswell Police Detective
Jeff Prince, who broke up the attack by shooting two of the dogs with his service weapon. Police said the pit bill terrier -mixed dogs had escaped from a kennel operated by Doggy Saviors, a purported animal rescue group, although city leaders said the dogs had been living in deplorable conditions. Doggy Saviors acquired the dogs from the Roswell animal shelter and kenneled the dogs near the Princes’ home. S. Doug Jones-Witt of Jones Witt & Ragsdale said Monday that Doggy Saviors would also likely be sued in connection to the June 11
incident. The individual owner of the land on which Doggy Saviors’ kennel is located along Vista Lane will also likely be sued, Jones-Witt said. “We anticipate we will be filing a lawsuit against Doggy Saviors, the city of Roswell and other folks involved,” Jones-Witt told the Daily Record Monday. “It’s kind of a thing that didn’t have to happen. Very clearly, something has gone wrong. We’re going to press forward and explore all avenues on who is responsible, who was negligent and who is accountable.” Jones-Witt said city officials should have known the dogs being released
As good as new
Randal Seyler Photo
Top: Jim Burress, general manager of Dean Baldwin Painting in Roswell, at left, poses with employees, including, Socorro Alvarez, Teresa Morales, Brenda Loera, Magdalena Quinonez, Jose Mata, Santiago Zavala, Antonio Leon, Jose Flores, in front of a truck the company painted for Boy Scouts Troop 2.
Right: Jim Burress, left, general manager of Dean Baldwin Painting Roswell Facility, visits with Jason Perry, director of music, youth, children and education for the Tabernacle Baptist Church, outside the facility on Monday. Dean Baldwin Painting painted a church bus for Tabernacle Baptist Church, along with a truck for the Boy Scouts, and two jets, one for ENMURoswell and one belonging to the city.
ENMU-R to host Occupational Training Program graduation ceremony Thursday SUBMITTED
The ENMU-Roswell Special Services Occupational Training Program for students with disabilities will hold its 28th annual Graduation Ceremony on Thursday at 2 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center on campus. The ceremony will recognize 70 graduates of the program. Students will receive certificates in a variety of program areas such as Food Service, Child Care Attendant, Of fice Skills, Laboratory Animal Caretaker, Stocking and Merchandising, Sanitation/Building Maintenance/Grounds Keeping, and Veterinary Assistant. The Occupational Training Program provides training and appropri-
ate services to students with disabilities so they can participate in the university community and obtain employment. Graduates of the Special Services Program come from all over the nation to attend the three-semester program. The career training allows students to learn marketable vocational skills, as well as practical life and independent living skills. Graduates leave the campus with verification of training (COT), certifications, valuable life experiences, and positive personal growth. The commencement speaker will be Dr. José Z. Garcia, Cabinet secretary, New Mexico Higher Education Department. Secretary Garcia received a B.A. from Occidental College, an M.A. from the Fletcher
HIGH 96 LOW 70
TODAY’S FORECAST
School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico. Secretary Garcia was appointed Secretary of Higher Education in December 2010 by then-Governor-elect Susana Martinez.
In his first year in office, he worked with a broad spectrum of legislative, executive, and college and university officials to write a new funding formula for higher education.
Rewarding institutions for their outcomes rather than costs, the formula encourages institutions to close the achievement gap, to grant more certificates and degrees in general, and to graduate more students in science, technology, engineering, health, and mathematics fields.
• ELDON WESLEY WHITTEN • JOHNNIE SKEEN • GWYNDLON ALSUP
• WANDA NELL MOFFETT
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6
Jeff Tucker Photo
Roswell Police Detective Jeff Prince addresses the Roswell City Council on June 20, shortly after his 9-year-old son was attacked by dogs.
were dangerous. “We believe the city of Roswell knew or should have known,” he said. “They had a documented
history of attacks and viciousness and never should have been released,
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Gov. Rick Perry is deploying up to 1,000 National Guard troops to the TexasMexico border over the next month to combat what he said Monday were criminals exploiting a surge of children pouring into the U.S. illegally. Perry, a vocal critic of the White House’s response to the border crisis who is himself mulling a second presidential run, said the state has a responsibility to act after “lip service and empty promises” from Washington. “I will not stand idly by while our citizens are under assault and little children from Central America are detained in squalor,” the governor said. The deployment of National Guard troops, which may act in a law enforcement capacity under state authority, will cost Texas an estimated $12 million per month. They will simply be “referring and deterring” immigrants and not detaining people, Texas Adjutant General John Nichols said. But he added that the National Guard could take people into custody if need be. “We think they’ll come to us and say, ‘Please take us to a Border Patrol station,’” Nichols said.
Messages seeking comment were left with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Perry bristled at suggestions from some Democratic state lawmakers and business groups that his move means Texas is militarizing its southern border. Still, Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio said he didn’t know if troops would be coming to his part of the border and questioned what good they would do if they did. “Those people are trained for war fare, not for law enforcement,” said Lucio, whose county includes Brownsville. “I think the money would be better spent if they would give it to the local law enforcement that is close to the border.” More than 3,000 Border Patrol agents currently work in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, but Perry had repeatedly asked Obama to send the National Guard to the border amid an influx of immigrants. Since October, more than 57,000 unaccompanied children and teenagers have entered the U.S. illegally — more than double compared to
Texas Gov. Perry sending National Guard troops to border
See CLAIM, Page A3
See BORDER, Page A2
Rebels release train with bodies from downed jet HRABOVE, Ukraine (AP) — Bowing to international pressure Monday, pro-Moscow separatists released a train packed with bodies and handed over the black boxes from the downed Malaysia Airlines plane, four days after it plunged into rebel-held eastern Ukraine.
With body parts decaying in sweltering heat and signs that evidence at the crash site was mishandled, anger in Wester n capitals has mounted at the rebels and their allies in Moscow. Their reluctant cooperation will soothe mourning families and help investigators, but may do little to reconcile the East-West powers struggling over Ukraine’s future. Russia’s Defense Min-
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 FINANCIAL ..............B4
istry said it saw no evidence a missile was fired and denied involvement in the downing of Flight 17 — and suggested the Ukrainian military was at fault. President Vladimir Putin spoke out but showed no sign of abandoning the separatists as fighting flared anew near the site of the crash.
President Barack Obama accused the rebels of tampering with evidence and insulting victims’ families, warning of new sanctions. Europeans will consider their own sanctions Tuesday. The bodies of the 298 victims, most from the Netherlands, have become a part of the conflict in Ukraine
See BODIES, Page A3
INDEX GENERAL ...............A3
HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8