Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 124, No. 122 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
May 22, 2015
Friday
www.rdrnews.com
Police: No evidence of forced entry after vandalism By Jared Tucker Multimedia Journalist It has been four days since vandals trashed the Roswell High School in what some are calling a senior prank gone way too far. Toilet paper thrown everywhere, furniture moved, cow manure thrown in the hallways, maple syrup spilled and graffiti on hallway floors are just some of the damage inflicted Monday morning. Police said there is no evidence of forced entry to the building, leaving some to believe students got access to the building’s keys. Many residents are outraged that none of the 30 to 40 students who were detained and
questioned has yet been criminally charged. School officials and police are passing the buck about whose choice it is to file charges. According to Roswell Police Public Information Officer Todd Wildermuth, officers responded to Roswell High School around 3:20 a.m. Monday in reference to a burglary alarm that was sounding. When officers arrived, they found “numerous” students at a nearby intersection who tried to enter their vehicles and flee, but officers were able to detain them. “It was determined these students had been involved in vandalizing the school, which they referred to as a senior prank. The students were later
released after questioning,” Wildermuth said, adding that it’s up to the Roswell Independent School District to press charges or not. “What I understood from the police was they were going to investigate and they would decide whether to prosecute or not,” Roswell Independent School District Superintendent Tom Burris said. Burris said he’s allowing Principal Ruben Bolanos to deal with the situation, including complaints and outcry from the public. He said Bolanos has been keeping him updated on the situation, but hasn’t supplied him with a list of the vandals as of Thursday afternoon. “Even if I had that list, I
couldn’t release it,” Burris said, adding he didn’t personally request the list until Thursday morning. When asked if the public See RHS, Page A3
NMMI Lusk Hall reopens
Photos courtesy of KRQE
Above right: Though no windows were smashed and nothing was broken, the students left quite a mess. Above left: A senior prank at RHS went too far.
Trujillo chosen as Dem party boss
By Jeff Tucker Record Staff Writer
Shawn Naranjo Photo
After an extensive renovation, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held Thursday for the stately Lusk Hall on the New Mexico Military Institute campus. The $5.8 million renovation, done by local contractor Waide Construction, adapts the building to be suited to modern needs while still maintaining its rich tradition. The original part of Lusk Hall was built in 1941. The building houses the business offices of the military institute, including human resources, accounts payable, audit services and the superintendent’s offices. Those personnel were temporarily located in trailers while the renovation took place. The architects were Dekker/Perich/Sabatini of Albuquerque and members of the design/construction team were Col. David West, NMMI chief of staff; Kent Taylor, director of facilities; and Mac Rogers, assistant facilities director. From left are Stephen Leos, coordinator/architect, Kent Taylor, director of facilities; Peggy Seskey, Roswell Chamber of Commerce Redcoats; Gen. Douglas Murray, dean of academics; Yukie Ebara and Hervey Gilliland, Redcoats; and Daniel Kemme, Dekker/ Perich/Sabatini.
Proposed marijuana farm withdrawn By Jeff Tucker Record Staff Writer The applicant for a proposed medical cannabis commercial nursery just northeast of Roswell has withdrawn his application. Marlin Johnson, director of the Chaves County Planning & Zoning Department, said Jon Rose has withdrawn an application to have the property at 6227 Devonian St. rezoned from agricultural/residential to industrial. “Regarding our conversation, we have decided not to go forward with the application for a non-profit cannabis production license,” Rose wrote Johnson in an email. Rose and Gerard Desjardins, both of Roswell, on April 10 filed an application with the Chaves County Planning & Zoning Department to open a medical cannabis commercial nursery
just northeast of Roswell city limits in the area known is ABO Industrial Sites, near U.S. Highway 70. Rose, the applicant, and Desjardins, the property owner, requested the property be rezoned industrial for a non-profit, state-licensed cannabis production and distribution facility. Desjardins said Thursday he is not affiliated with the endeavor, other than being the owner of the property proposed for the medical marijuana growing facility. Desjardins said he had no knowledge the property would have been used for a medical marijuana nursery. Desjardins, a nurse anesthetist, is the owner of Case Anesthesia PC. He also said the marijuana nursery would not have carried his business’s name, if the proposal had gone forward. Johnson said he learned about Rose’s request to with-
Today’s Forecast
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draw the application after an article in Wednesday’s Daily Record about the application. “The article had nothing to do with the withdrawal,” Johnson said. “It seems that perhaps the decision had been made earlier, but no one notified us. We would have skipped the publication and the letters to the neighbors, but we have to make our deadlines with the legal process. I don’t know what the real timing for the choice was and did not ask.” The application fee of $160 for the rezoning request was paid in April. “The application fee paid for the money we spent on the case,” Johnson said. Rose said Thursday he withdrew the application for personal reasons. “We’re not pursuing it now,” Rose said. “It’s primarily personal, family related. It has nothing to do with the business other than we’re
sorry we’re not able to pursue it. The thing just didn’t work out at the time, so that’s the way it is.” The Chaves County Planning & Zoning Commission had been scheduled to hold a public hearing June 2 regarding the zoning request and two other unrelated zoning requests. A legal ad in Sunday’s Daily Record states the Chaves County commissioners would consider the recommendations of the Chaves County Planning & Zoning Commission and take final action at the commissioners’ June 25 meeting. In a separate proposal, the Roswell-Chaves County Extraterritorial Zoning Commission on May 12 voted 4-2 in favor of a change of zoning use to allow Pecos Valley Pharmaceuticals Inc. to See FARM, Page A3
The Democratic Party of Chaves County has a new chairman who says he’s committed to making Chaves County once again a two-party county. Michael A. Trujillo, a former Chaves County commissioner, has been elected chairman of the local party for the next two years, succeeding Fred Moran, who had held the post for four years. “Democrats will continue to put people first,” Trujillo said. “We are going to move back to the basics, such as going into neighborhoods to get our message and values across. Being more visible in our communities, working with youth and seniors, non-profits, and offer scholarships and using more of social media - Facebook, Twitter, etc., we will continue to fight for our workers, teachers, veterans and our families. The Democratic Party is still the party that offers a place for everyone.” In other local Democratic Party elections, Pauline Ponce was chosen the local party’s vice chair for 2015 through 2017. Chuck Russell was elected treasurer, Dora Martinez was chosen first secretary and Billye Canady was elected second secretary, all for two-year terms. The elections were held in March. Moran, Melissa Peterson, Sonia Raftery, Tim Raftery and Lea Sides were elected to the Democratic Party’s state central committee. Trujillo, 50, of Lovington, is a third-generation small business owner. He is owner of El Charro Mexican Foods of Roswell. Trujillo served on the Chaves County Commission for two terms, from 2003 through 2010. While serving on the county commission, Trujillo, a sergeant in the New Mexico Army National Guard, was called up for active duty to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005 and 2006. Trujillo was chair of the local Democratic Party in 1999 and 2000, before he ran successfully for county commissioner. Trujillo said his goals as party chairman are to increase voter registration and to find quality candidates to contend against Republicans, who are often unopposed in general elections in Chaves County. “As a local party, we like to push for our local candidates, so we’ll be pushing more into commissioners, state representatives and senators and stuff like that,” Trujillo said. “We try to stay out of nonpartisan elections such as school boards
• Thomas Craig (T.C.) Shapard
and city elections. That’s kind of like the rule within that rule, that both parties try to stay out of it. I know every once in a while there are a few things that get in there, but we try and stay out of it.” Currently, Republicans hold every elected office in Chaves County and all eight southeastern seats in the New Mexico House of Representatives, stretching from Alamogordo to Clovis. “My goals for the Democratic Party would be voter registration,” Trujillo said. “That’s the main thing, to concentrate in the areas that we can win at.” Republicans in November won a 37-33 majority in the New Mexico House, taking control of the chamber for the first time since 1954. All 42 state senators are up for election in 2016. Democrats currently have a 24-18 majority in the state Senate. “If we go back to basics, we come out winners and I think that’s where we need to start again,” Trujillo said. “If we can get back to the basics, we’ll be in good shape. As a business owner and a family man and a veteran, I think the values of the Democratic Party as a whole come into mind and we need to go that route.” Trujillo said his other goals as party chairman are to reach out to youths and for the party to become more involved in the community. “As a party, we should be able to do a little extra, come up with scholarships, do a lot of fundraisers for certain non-profits and help them out also,” he said. “The other thing is our youth. We need to get our youth involved in our communities in our elections. Without our children, we have no future. We have to get them involved. That’s a concern for me.” The Democratic Party of Chaves County has monthly meetings at Los Cerritos on the third Thursday of each month. Staff Writer Jeff Tucker may be contacted at 575-622-7710, ext. 303, or at reporter01@ rdrnews.com.
Index
Today’s Obituaries Page B4
• John Richard Parnell Dwyer Jr. (Pat) • Yvonne L. Mayo
Trujillo
Classifieds...........B6 Comics..................B5 Financial..............B3 General...............A2
Horoscopes.........A8
Opinion.................A4
Lotteries. ............A2
Sports. ................B1
Nation..................B4
Weather...............A8