Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 124, No. 119 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
May 19, 2015
Tuesday
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Machete, shears assailant gets 22-year sentence By Jeff Tucker Record Staff Writer
A Roswell man who authorities said tried to decapitate a man with garden shears one day and stabbed a different man in the neck with a machete the following day has been sentenced to 22 years in prison. Elias “Dirty” Singleton, 36, was sentenced Friday by Fifth Judicial District Judge Freddie Romero to serve consecutive sentences on felony convictions of attempted murder-second degree, aggravated burglary with a deadly weap-
on, aggravated battery, tampering with evidence, possession of a controlled substance-methamphetamine and a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. Romero noted that it was only through fortuitous circumstances that Singleton did not face charges for murder in both cases, since both of his victims survived brutal attacks. The convictions stem from back-to-back attacks committed by Singleton in August 2013, both investigated by Detective Jeffrey Prince of the Roswell Police Department.
Singleton Police said Singleton, also known as “Dirty,” used a pair of garden shears with long blades as he tried to behead a man
Aug. 4, 2013, after entering the victim’s Roswell home in the 300 block of South Pennsylvania Avenue. The victim told police he was with Singleton and a friend at the victim’s house when Singleton unexpectedly wielded garden shears. “He said that ‘Dirty’ approached him with them open, placed them right at his neck, and then closed them like scissors,” Prince wrote in a criminal complaint. “He stated that it all happened fast and that he didn’t know why ‘Dirty’ did this. He said that after
Riding in memory
he was cut, blood began squirting out of his neck, so he called 911 and waited for help.” The 47-year-old victim was flown to Lubbock, Texas, for treatment of severe cuts to his neck. According to court records, investigators processed the scene and found a pair of garden shears covered in blood. Officers also located a backpack on the Pennsylvania Street property, which police said contained identification belonging to Singleton, a small amount of methamphetamine and several
syringes. Police said the victim’s girlfriend stated Singleton used the victim for drugs. Authorities said Singleton, formerly of the 1000 block of Plaza Del Sol, assaulted another victim with a machete on Aug. 5, 2013, at the victim’s home in the 300 block of South Birch Avenue. The victim told police Singleton came over to his house to show him a machete. The victim said he handed the machete back to Singleton and turned to get Singleton a See SINGLETON, Page A3
Perry chosen as new GOP boss By Jeff Tucker Record Staff Writer
Max Scally Photo
Texas resident Charles Kitchen is honoring his late father’s last request by spreading his ashes on the Yellowstone River in Montana. But instead of making the drive in a car or drive, Kitchen decided to travel by horseback with his horse, Palomo, and his mule, Pancho. Kitchen was riding through Roswell Monday on his way to Ruidoso. From there he plans to ride to Belen. “I’m making my way to the Continental Divide,” he said. Kitchen said he is making the trip by horseback to raise awareness for disabled veterans, who like his father, were denied benefits they may have been entitled to. Kitchen said his father served three tours in Vietnam and became disabled from his exposure to Agent Orange. “They only gave him 25 percent (of his benefits) when he should have received 100 percent. We fought with them (the VA) for years and years.” Kitchen added, “They fought for our country and we need to take care of them instead of putting them on the back book shelf.”
Monterrey Elementary makes the grade in math Staff Report Roswell Independent School District K-8 students have been exhibiting their enthusiasm for math by solving close to 10 million math problems on the First In Math website since the beginning of the school year. But as amazing as that sounds, students at Monterrey Elementary School solved more than 2.5 million of the problems. First In Math is a supplemental online program with more than 5,000 schools and 1.5 million students participating around the country. All students can access the online program from school and home and progress at their own pace in mastering skills ranging from one-step addition to multi-step algebra. The
Katy Ross Photo
Alexys Valverde, third from left, raises his hands in victory Monday as he and his classmates are rewarded with medals for being the top-ranked students in their school for the online program First in Math at Monterrey Elementary School. Monterrey Elementary School is the No. 1 ranked school in RISD and third ranked school in New Mexico. With Alexys are, from left, Javin Sanchez, Nicolas Carrillo and Gabriella Dykstra. comprehensive content is aligned with the common core curriculum and is presented in a game for-
mat that engages all types of learners and used from See MATH, Page A3
New Mexico law enforcement is reminding motorists to Click It or Ticket. As part of the national seat belt enforcement campaign, law enforcement agencies around the country will be stepping up enforcement May 18-31, heading into one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. “With the Memorial Day weekend around the corner, we want to make sure people are using their seatbelts. This one simple step is a proven life saver
in motor vehicle crashes. If these enforcement crackdowns get people’s attention and get them to buckle up, then we’ve done our job,” said New Mexico Department of Transportation Secretary Tom Church. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people age 11 through 27 in the United States. Among young adults 18 to 34 years old killed in crashes, 61 percent were completely unrestrained—the highToday’s Forecast
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est percentage of all age groups. “Click It or Ticket isn’t about the citations; it’s about saving lives,” said District 3 New Mexico State Police Capt. Lance Bateman. “Motorist should buckle up every trip; every time. Even more important, consistent safety belt use will protect motorists from being ejected form a vehicle during a crash.” “This is one of the most successful campaigns to be a part of,” said Tim ParkSee TICKET, Page A2
ALBUQUERQUE — Josh Martinez is all too familiar with the problems surrounding Northern New Mexico. Martinez, who grew up in Chimayo, had to deal with the drug issue that Rio Arriba County is known for. Rio Arriba County has one of the highest death rates per capita due to drug overdose. However, thanks to his faith and his family, Martinez was never involved with the drug problem that plagues his hometown. Now Martinez is graduating from the University of New Mexico for the second time, with a master’s degree in public administration. “Our parents provided very well for us, and we went to church and God has always been the foundation of our family in everything that we do,” he said. “That’s very important to us, and that has helped us to be a good family and to overcome kind of those obstacles that we had to deal with growing up.” After graduating with his undergraduate degree in health education at UNM in 2010, Martinez decided to return to Española and became a counselor for Rio Arriba’s Substance Abuse Program. Martinez worked at the program from March of 2011 to June of 2012. “We all grew up around it, and I just made a differ-
Martinez ent choice to not be a part of that type of lifestyle,” he said. “I got a lot of respect from the inmates because we all had the same kind of opportunities, and some take different paths than others. It could be difficult, but we always want what’s best for us and our families.” Martinez then married his wife, Hannah, and moved back to Albuquerque to start his master’s program in public administration in August 2013. Before returning to UNM for his master’s degree, Martinez joined the Women, Children and Infants program, which helps postpartum women and children who are found to be at nutritional risk. “It’s very important to
citizens and just make a better community to live in. “Instead of just working on statewide, we’re going to concentrate on home for a while, then we’ll be gearing up for the presidential election that’s coming up.” Perry, the minister of education for Tabernacle See PERRY, Page A3
• Anthony D’Angelo • Ernesto R. Armendariz
give back and help those that need it a little bit more than others,” Martinez said. Martinez left WIC for his current job as the Health Equity Director at the American Heart Association last January. He said he does a lot of community engagement work by trying to educate people about heart disease and strokes. “Any programs that I have available or have to offer that way, I always take it back to my community in Española or Chimayo,” he said. “I’m involved with the local government there, so I’m able to do a lot with the city and the community.” Of his family, Martinez is the only one to have gone to college and not get a master’s degree in speech pathology. Martinez’s father, Jimmy, his brother, James, and his sisters, Cristal Valdez and Melissa Sandoval, all earned degrees in that area. Once his brother and sisters completed their master’s work, they all moved back to Northern New Mexico to work for Española Public Schools. “It’s important that people who are doing good and are successful and are educated go back to make sure it’s a better place,” Martinez said. “To help those who made different choices, and to just kind of be the light in the darkness.”
Index
Today’s Obituaries Page A6
• Loretta Tarpley • Charlene Wright
Perry
NM grad brings reforms home By Thomas Romero-Salas New Mexico Daily Lobo
Click It or Ticket seatbelt enforcement campaign kickoff Submitted
Roswell City Councilor Jason Perry has been elected the new chair of the Republican Party of Chaves County. Perry, who has served on the Roswell City Council since November 2009, replaces Clarke Coll as the local party’s new chair for the next two years. “As a party, we’re going to concentrate on our community,” Perry said Monday. “Over the last several years, we have concentrated on ensuring the House in Santa Fe is a conservative House for the Republicans. Now, we’re going to concentrate back on our local community just to ensure the unity of the community. We’re going to be doing some work in some of the different areas of town to try to help our
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