Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
RPD arrests, charges GHS teacher
Vol. 120, No. 217 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
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JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
FATHER’S PARENTS ILLEGALS
September 9, 2011
A Goddard High School teacher turned himself into police Thursday morning after a warrant was issued for his arrest late Wednesday. The teacher, David Lawrence, 48, is charged with criminal sexual contact of a minor. Lawrence has taught health at Goddard for the past 17 years. He also coached girls’ softball and
boys’ soccer. The arrest follows a lengthy investigation by the Roswell Police Department, following allegations of sexual misconduct by a student. According to the criminal complaint, the allegations were first leveled on Aug. 25, when Principal Andrew Sweet reported to the RPD that he had received notification of “multiple sexual contacts” between Lawrence and a 17-year -
old student. The complaint states, “He (Sweet) went to the soccer field and grabbed Coach Lawrence.” Later, a uniformed officer “arrived to transport Mr. Lawrence to the Roswell Police Department.” The court records also state that the female victim confided to a teacher about a sexual incident between herself and Lawrence, an allegation, which the student recanted during the
initial interviews by police. However, as the investigation progressed she stated that she and Lawrence had fondled each other through clothing. At least one of the alleged incidents was purported to have taken place in Lawrence’s home when his wife and children were not at home. Roswell Police Chief Alfonso Solis said last week that the case was much
Obama: Cut taxes; stop circus
See TEACHER, Page A3
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Gov. Susana Martinez, who has drawn national attention and criticism from immigrant advocacy groups for trying to stop illegal immigrants from getting driver’s licenses, has acknowledged her paternal grandparents came to the U.S. illegally. - PAGE A8
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INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Downtown comes Alive After Five! Visitors attending MainStreet Roswell’s Alive After Five shop downtown area merchants, late Thursday afternoon.
VANESSA KAHIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Downtown Roswell came alive just before five Thursday evening when merchants selling a colorful and distinct variety of homemade,
PACKERS DOWN SAINTS
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — A Super Bowl hangover and the NFL lockout weren’t about to slow down Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. The New Orleans Saints just couldn’t keep up. Rodgers came out on top in a memorable openingnight duel with Drew Brees, and the Packers made a goal-line stand on the final play of the game to beat the Saints 42-34 on Thursday night. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S • • • •
OBITUARIES
Betty Lou Frost Remedios Herrera Robert Conway Salvador Briseno - PAGE B5
HIGH ...84˚ LOW ....61˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................A6 FINANCIAL .............B4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........B5 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 STATE ...................B5 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
homegrown goodies set up shop on Main Street’s otherwise tranquil sidewalks between Second and Fourth streets. MainStreet Roswell’s Alive After Five event also featured live entertainment and eye-catching cars. Those in attendance could not
agree if Alive After Five emphasized Roswell’s small town charms, or if it evoked the street vendors of larger cities. Carolyn Nibert, who sold herbs
David Lawrence
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attacking a deepening jobs crisis, President Barack Obama challenged a reluctant Congress Thursday night to urgently pass a largerthan-expected $450 billion plan to “jolt an economy that has stalled.” He urged lawmakers to slash Social Security taxes for tens of millions of Americans and for almost every business to encourage hiring. “Stop the political circus,” an animated Obama told a joint session of Congress in a nationally televised speech. Over and over he implored lawmakers to “pass this jobs bill.” Open to discussion but making no promises, Republican House Speaker John Boehner said Obama’s ideas would be considered but the president should give heed to Republicans’ as well. “It’s my hope that we can work together,” he said. In announcing a plan heavy on the tax cuts that Republicans traditionally love, Obama sought to achieve multiple goals: offer a plan that could actually get
Chamber director resigns Salvador Briseno
Courtesy Photo
Dorrie Faubus-McCarty
EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The executive director of the Roswell Chamber of Commerce announced
Thursday that she is stepping down from her position to pursue another job opportunity. Dorrie Faubus-McCarty, who has been the executive director of the chamber since July 2009, submitted a letter of resignation to the chamber’s Executive Board of Directors Sept. 2, stating she would like her last day to be Sept. 16. “It was a hard decision to make,” she said in an interview Thursday afternoon. “It was very emotional.” Faubus-McCarty declined to say where she will be working in the future, only that it was a local private company. An interim executive director or a successor
have not yet been chosen, Board president David Duer said on Thursday, but the board will meet today to plan out how to proceed. Chamber bylaws do not specify procedures on how to choose a director, just that the approval of the Executive Board of Directors is required. Duer noted that under Faubus-McCarty’s leadership, membership of the chamber has grown tremendously. He also credited her for improving the chamber’s website to be more user friendly and for boosting the quality of the chamber’s newsletter. “It’s all because of her that the chamber is mov-
See ALIVE, Page A3
See OBAMA, Page A3
shot; dead at scene
Chaves County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call around 8 p.m., Wednesday, about a body located near the intersection of Circle Cross and Y.O. Road. “The victim was found by people in the neighborhood, who called the report in,” Sheriff Rob Coons said. He noted that there had been shots fired immediately prior to the finding the body. “We had deputies in the area when we received a call from dispatch. We were there in less than five minutes. The New Mexico State Police arrived there quickly, too.” Officials located the 40year -old man, who was later identified as Salvador
Salvador Briseno
Briseno. “He was lying in the middle of the road at Circle Cross and Y.O. Road. He was on a bicycle,” said Coons. Emergency Medical per-
Council, OKs ICIP Libyan rebel PM calls for unity JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
The Roswell City Council approved the Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan, with minor changes to the order of the top five ranked projects, Thursday evening at its regular business meeting. The ICIP, which must be submitted to the state by the end of the month, details projects for the city that will need funding from 2013 through 2017. The top five projects listed in the plan for 2013 are, in order: Wool Bowl Softball Complex Phase 1B; Chihuahuita Solar Light Poles Phase I; playground equipment replacement for pub-
lic parks; new barracks for the New Mexico Youth ChalleNGe facility; and street paving for local cemeteries. In total these top five projects are in need of funding of around $3.5 million dollars. “At this particular moment in time there haven’t been any particular moneys award for the ICIP since I’ve been here, so at least two years. Some refer to it as a wish list. In talking to the state they don’t want it to be a wish list, I think eventually this will become a very solid list for communities to be able to put their projects out there,” Michael Vickers, See COUNCIL, Page A3
See CHAMBER, Page A3
See BRISENO, Page A3
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — A hunted Moammar Gadhafi called on his remaining loyalists Thursday to keep fighting, as the country’s acting premier appealed from the capital for national unity to rebuild the North African nation after six months of civil war. Rebel forces effectively ended Gadhafi’s rule last month when they seized the capital Tripoli, sending the 42-year autocrat AP Photo into hiding. Libya’s new rulers have been search- Libyan fighters at Wai Dinar, Libya, Thursday. ing for him while trying to On Thursday, Gadhafi the towns at former rebel negotiate the surrender of towns still held by Gad- loyalists fired at least 10 hafi supporters. rockets from inside one of See LIBYA, Page A3