Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
NMMI AD charged with sexual battery Vol. 123, No. 179 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The athletic director of New Mexico Military Institute has voluntarily surrendered to Virginia authorities on an arrest warrant for a charge of sexual battery, although his attorney told the Daily Record Friday the woman’s allegations are “inflammatory and untrue” and that Reginald “Reggie” W. Franklin looks forward to his day in court. The husband of the female complainant told the Daily Record Friday that Franklin should be fired from NMMI for allegedly repeatedly groping his wife at a public event and violating NMMI’s code
of honor. Franklin, a former member of the world-renowned Harlem Globetrotters and two-time Western Junior College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year at NMMI, tur ned himself in to authorities in Fair fax County, Virginia, on July 1. The Class 1 misdemeanor sexual battery charge carries a maximum possible penalty of one year in jail and a $2,500 fine. Under Virginia law, a person is guilty of sexual battery if he or she sexually abuses the complaining witness against the will of the witness, by force, threat, intimidation, or ruse. Franklin, 57, of Roswell, is out of jail on bail.
July 26, 2014
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Franklin had a court hearing in Fairfax County General District Court Friday when the case was continued until Nov. 14. Franklin was not required to appear in court Friday, said his defense attorney, Phoenix Harris. “Once he was informed there may have been a warrant secured, he retained me to represent him, and we made immediate arrangements for him to fly out here and turn himself in,” Harris told the Daily Record Friday from Virginia. “He was not considered a danger to the community or a flight risk, so he was released immediately on a low bond.” Harris said Franklin is “absolutely, 100 percent”
Healthy kids get bikes
innocent. Harris said Franklin has no criminal record and “has never engaged in any sort of criminal activity.” “He absolutely and categorically denies the allegations,” Harris said. “We look forward to his day in court.” Sonia Jarvis, of Laurel, Md., filed the complaint against Franklin, said a Fairfax County court official, leading to a warrant for Franklin’s arrest. According to court documents, the incident occurred Feb. 22, 2014, in McLean, Va. “He was here for a NMMI function,” Harris said. NMMI public information See FRANKLIN, Page A3
File Photo
Reggie Franklin poses for this photo in July 2010, shortly after becoming the athletic director of New Mexico Military Institute. Franklin voluntarily surrendered to Virginia authorities this month after a warrant was issued for his arrest, charging him with sexual battery of a woman at a NMMI alumni event in Virginia. Franklin coached basketball at NMMI for 16 seasons and is a former Harlem Globetrotter.
Roswell schools receive mixed Overall Grades BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Randal Seyler Photo
Paula Camp, left, of Healthy Kids of Chaves County, and Shellea Owens of the New Mexico Department of Health, right, award a bicycle to Jazmen Lucero on Friday at the Roswell Boys & Girls Club. There were 35 kids participating in the Healthy Kids “5-2-1-O” exercise and diet program over the summer at the club, and Camp and Owens awarded medals to all the children who completed the healthy challenge.
The grades are in — and for Roswell Independent School District, the grades are a mixed bag. The New Mexico Public Education Department released the 2013-14 grades on Thursday, and the Roswell district netted three Overall Grades of “A,” and six Overall Grades of “D.” Of the 20 schools within the district, there were five schools with a “B” and six schools with a “C” grade, according to the PED report. However, under the category entitled “Opportunity to Learn,” only two schools in the district — Roswell High and University High — were graded “C.” All the
other schools received grades of either “A” or “B.” Calls on Friday to Superintendent Tom Burris were not returned before press time. Goddard High School, Sidney Gutierrez Middle Charter School and Valley View Elementary School were the three Roswell sites that garnered top grades. Berrendo Middle School, Del Norte Elementary School, East Grand Plains Elementary School, Military Heights Elementary School and Roswell High School all received grades of “B.” Berrendo Elementary School, El Capitan Elementary School, Missouri Avenue Elementary School, Pecos Elementary School, Sierra Middle School and
Board told subsidies Women support Israel through Christian charity unaffected by ruling
SANTA FE (AP) — New Mexicans will continue to qualify for subsidies if they buy medical insurance from a government online marketplace, a state insurance exchange official said Friday.
Conflicting federal court rulings have raised questions about the availability of subsidies when enroll-
ment opens later this year.
New Mexico is considered a state-based exchange by federal health of ficials despite using a federally operated online system to enroll individuals, New Mexico Health Connections CEO Martin Hickey told fellow members of the exchange board.
Plague activity continues in the East Mountain area SUBMITTED
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Department of Health and the Department of Game and Fish report continuing instances of plague in the East Mountain area, which includes parts of Bernalillo, Torrance and Santa Fe counties. Two animals, a mountain lion and a small raccoon-like mammal called a coati, from the Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood recently died from complications due to plague. The infected animals both died within the last few weeks. The two departments have been actively working
with Wildlife West Nature Park in an effort reduce the presence of plague to minimize the possibility of people or animals being exposed.
“After a detailed inspection, officials are overseeing the parks’ efforts to decrease wild rodent population in the park, dust rodent burrows with insecticides to kill fleas, post signs to warn people to stay on designated trails and watch for any rodent die-offs that may be due to plague,” said Dr. Kerry Mower, wildlife biologist with the Department of Game and Fish. See PLAGUE, Page A2
HIGH 101 LOW 69 TODAY’S FORECAST
See GRADES, Page A2
BY JERRY HECK RECORD STAFF WRITER
As a devout Christian, Rebecca Chavez believes that Christians in American need to unite with Israelis in protecting their war-torn country. Chavez lived in Israel for two years in the late 1980s. She worked as a governess for two children whose parents were reporters. She was also a secretary. Now that her own children are grown, she returns to Israel about twice a year. “You have to go! Once you go there, you get bitten by the bug,” she said. While in Israel, Chavez studied Hebrew and two of her classmates were Egyptians. Chavez said the fact that the Egyptians, who spoke Arabic and were likely Muslim, had open minds about other people’s faiths and beliefs demonstrates the Jews and Muslims can get along. Chavez saw a need for a local grass-roots organization, so along with Roswell residents Kathy Hartman and Mary Ann Wootton, she founded The Deborah Project, named in honor of Deborah in the Book of Judges in the Old Testament. Deborah was a judge of Israel. The Deborah Project, which sprouted from a women’s Bible-study class, is a bridge between Jews and Christians. The women in the class wanted to help single mothers in Jerusalem. As the concept took root, Wootton developed a website, the women then met with Israel’s Ministry of
THERE ARE NO LOCAL OBITUARIES FOR TODAY. TODAY’S OBITUARIES
Jerry Heck Photo
Deborah the Brave Ministries leadership (L to R) Mary Ann Wootton, Rebecca Chavez and Kathy Hartman.
Welfare in Israel and the vision became increasingly focused. So far this year, the project has raised $50,000. The funds are going to stock bomb shelters with food, repair materials and to help evacuate children to safer areas of Israel. Hartman described her experiences in Israel: “The media always focuses on the concrete wall. [Gaza is separated from Israel by a protective barrier] Most Americans probably perceive this as the Great Wall of China or the Berlin Wall, but only about 30 percent of it is concrete; most is just a fence. “Can you imagine having 15 to 18 seconds to get to a bomb shelter in
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 FINANCIAL ..............B3
the middle of the night and having to wake four children? Remember back in the Cold War we had duckand-cover drills at school? This wears on the kids. One Israeli teacher made up a song for the kids to sing, ‘we are going to the bomb shelter.’ During the 2006 Lebanon War, many families lived in shelters.” Wootton added, “Israel wants peace. Again, the media portrays the Palestinians as victims and displays only the shantytowns of Gaza on TV. There are areas where Palestinians live in homes like that anywhere in the U.S. Also, where Israel returned See ISRAEL, Page A2
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8