Posts Tagged ‘New Mexico’
Need your teeth fixed cheap? Go and see “El Dentista” over there – in the red Chevy!
A man who calls himself “El Dentista” is facing charges after Santa Fe police say the unlicensed tooth doctor was found operating as a “mobile dentist” out of a sedan around town.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that 36-year-old Eliver Kestler, also known as Eliver Lopez, was arrested Saturday following a tip from a former customer.
According to police, investigators discovered Kestler with a portable drill machine and other dental equipment in a small, red Chevrolet sedan.
Authorities say Kestler told police that he had a dentistry license in Mexico but no license in the U.S. Kestler, who was wearing blue hospital scrubs when he met with police, was arrested on a number of charges, including practicing dentistry without a license.
It was unclear if he had an attorney.
You have to understand there is nothing surprising about this story, here in the Southwest. Especially in New Mexico.
Thieves get to fatal crash in Carlsbad, NM, before coppers — steal the victim’s tires, rims
If you’re coming to visit the Carlsbad Caverns – try not to have an accident on the way
When Carlsbad police heard of a fatal car crash Wednesday morning, they weren’t expecting what they saw when they arrived on the scene. Parts of the victim’s car were missing – an indication that someone had not only found the man hours earlier, but had also stolen from him in what were perhaps his last moments.
Steven Roy Reese, 26, of Carlsbad, was reportedly traveling southbound on the dirt road adjacent to the irrigation canal between Lea Street and Boyd Drive when he lost control of his vehicle, according to a press release from the Carlsbad Police Department. Officers believe Reese overcorrected to regain control, causing his 1996 Ford Explorer to flip two times and land on top of him. Reese was dead when police arrived on the scene, and a report from the Office of the Medical Investigator revealed Reese had been dead for approximately 8-12 hours before police found him…
Some time during the night, an unknown person reportedly removed Goodyear Wrangler tires, two Ford factory aluminum wheels and the battery from Reese’s 1996 Ford Explorer. This behavior is certainly unusual, Carlsbad police Lt. Jennifer Moyers said, and extremely insensitive.
The area in which the accident happened, about half a mile south of Lea Street, is not well traveled, so it’s not unusual that the police weren’t called immediately after the crash took place, Moyers said.
“But typically when we have something like this happen, people call in right away. It’s terrible,” she said of the thief who she believes may have found the car lying on its side during the night.
Moyers said the person who stole the parts from Reese’s car could definitely face criminal charges. “There could be a couple of charges – theft and failure to give notice of the accident,” she said.
If the person tries to sell the stolen items, that would be an additional offense as well, Moyers said.
Life in the American West?
Republican War on Women – New Mexico style
If a Republican legislator in New Mexico gets her way, women who have abortions after being raped could face jail time for “tampering with evidence.”
State Rep. Cathrynn Brown (R-Carlsbad) introduced a bill yesterday that requires rape victims to see their pregnancies through during the course of their sexual assault trial, or be charged with third-degree felony evidence tampering.
Tampering with evidence shall include procuring or facilitating an abortion, or compelling or coercing another to obtain an abortion, of a fetus that is the result of criminal sexual penetration or incest with the intent to destroy evidence of the crime.
If convicted, a rape victim could face up to three years in prison.
The dimwit Republican who introduced this piece of crap legislation has changed her story a couple of times over the course of the day as it finally sank into her brain that normal human beings were outraged. By this evening’s news cycle, she was trying to claim that someone in the legislature printing office must have misprinted her bill. She will withdraw it – “correct it” – and reintroduce it, tomorrow.
Just another link in the chain that Republicans would fasten to the ankles of every American woman – if we let them.
Salt Lake City police join technology move to headcams
Video surveillance cameras that eye supermarkets, car parks and train stations are something many people are used to by now. But one US police force is making the headlines for trying to take this a step further: clipping cameras on the side of all their officers’ heads via glasses, helmets or hats. They can record a crime scene or any interaction with the public, adding to the footage already produced by dashboard cameras in their cars.
On Wednesday a police chief in Salt Lake City, Utah, announced his intention to make wearable cameras mandatory at his police department.
But perhaps the development should not be such a surprise. In fact, wearable cameras have been used by officers for some time to document on-the-scene actions.
Supporters of the technology highlight the fact that they are made in such a way that officers cannot edit the footage, helping to ensure transparency.
However, there are concerns about privacy…
“All of our motor officers are using the most current camera on a daily basis,” says Commander Scott Schubert from Pittsburgh Police Department.
“Unlike an in-car video that stays positioned in front of the car, the helmet or glasses-mounted cameras go wherever the officer goes and records what the officer observes.
“I think it’s a great resource because it provides transparency and helps to ensure accountability, by the officers and the public, during police interaction.
“It also provides valuable information that can assist with the successful prosecution of crimes, protect officers from false complaints, and assist with addressing valid complaints involving police conduct…”
We have at least one police department here in New Mexico using one or another variation on the theme. Poisonally, I’m in favor of having a record of what happens at any arrest – or even an investigation. Under the best of circumstances, our memory is fallible.
So far, the recordings have been called upon for information about crime scenes, incidents involving complaints about the police, validating complaints against perps. The one issue not addressed in the article – and it can be sorted by the software record – is that cops have already figured out that if they’re getting ready to break the law themselves, preparing to violate procedures – they simply turn the camera off and prevent the recording.
That should require an immediate review with the watch commander.
Poll watcher training by Tea Party calls for breaking the law
A Democratic-leaning political group on Thursday criticized poll-challenger training by an Albuquerque-area Republican official, saying there was misinformation about voter-identification requirements and provisional ballots that could be used to suppress turnout in the general election.
ProgressNow New Mexico released secretly recorded video of the training done last week by Sandoval County GOP vice chairwoman Patricia Morlen, a tea party activist.
“This is a how-to guide to voter suppression, and many of their instructions are in blatant contradiction to state law,” said Pat Davis, executive director of the political group. “People trained by the GOP to ‘protect’ our elections will wreak havoc on our elections and so frustrate voters that many will simply give up and go home.”
Those attending the session were given written materials and were told that voters can be required to show a physical form of identification if that’s requested by two polling place officials from different political parties. Trainees also were told that provisional ballots will be required for the nearly 178,000 registered voters who received mailings from elections officials that could lead to them being purged after the 2014 election.
The training information is incorrect or misleading, however.
New Mexico doesn’t require a photo ID to cast a ballot. Voters need only to state their name, address and birth year at a polling place. A physical ID is required only if someone is a first-time voter and registered by mail without supplying certain identification, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
The mailing to voters, including those who haven’t cast ballots in recent elections, doesn’t prevent people from voting with a regular paper ballot this year unless they’ve moved and haven’t updated their registration address. In that instance, an individual would have to use a provisional ballot, according to state elections officials…
The training session also incorrectly stated that provisional ballots will only be counted in tight elections. Provisional ballots are counted if a voter is found to be properly registered.
One of the worst rightwing ideologues in the Party-formerly-known-as-Republican, Congressman Steve Pearce from downstate New Mexico supported all of this crap even though he knows it’s illegal:
“We’re simply saying that we’re going to start, we’re going to take it back it into our hands,” said Pearce. “We should check for ID since you have to show an ID to do anything in America.”
He did, however, admit that doing so would be against the law…
Apparently being a law-abiding citizens only extended to laws Republicans approve of. They are judge and jury unto themselves.
Police chief resigns – only certified member left on the force is the dog
The police chief of the small eastern New Mexico town of Vaughn resigned Wednesday, leaving the town with just one certified member on its police force – a drug-sniffing dog named Nikka.
Dave Romero, attorney for the town, said Wednesday that police Chief Ernest “Chris” Armijo decided to step down after news stories reported that he wasn’t allowed to carry a gun because of his criminal background.
“He decided the attention was distracting,” Romero said.
State officials said Armijo couldn’t carry a gun since acknowledging that he owed tens of thousands of dollars in delinquent child support payments in Texas. Armijo also faces new felony charges after being accused of selling a town-owned rifle and pocketing the cash.
According to records, the only qualified member of the Vaughn Police Department is Nikka, a drug-sniffing dog. Vaughn’s other officer isn’t certified and pleaded guilty to charges of assault and battery last year. Noncertified officers can’t make arrests and can’t carry firearms.
Vaughn…is a quiet town that is an overnight stop for railroad workers. And while residents say there is no crime problem, the town is set deep in what U.S. Homeland Security Investigations officials say is an isolated region of the state popular with drug traffickers. Officials say the desolate roads in Guadalupe County make it hard for authorities to catch smugglers moving drugs from Mexico…
At Penny’s Diner, residents said they were embarrassed by the attention the episode has put on the small town.
“There’s just a whole lot of nothing going on here,” said cook Joyce Tabor. “We have very little crime. It’s quiet. So this really doesn’t matter.”
If you’re ever in that neck of the prairie, do stop in to eat at Penny’s. When I used to be on the road, that always was a reasonable place in the middle of nowhere to get a decent meal.
Oh – a comment on the problem? Pretty typical for a state which battles Mississippi for nationwide leadership in no skills, no education and opportunist local politicians.
Second growth, Prairie feathergrass
Click to enlarge
From this morning’s first walk – at dawn. The sun is rising over our back meadow, just reaching down to the bottom of the hill by the bosque. After the erratic monsoon rains in August, the prairie feathergrass is putting out the second growth of the summer season. The grass stalks already average about two-and-a-half feet high.
An early morning bee
Click photo to enlarge
We have several bushes outside the living room windows planted just because they keep the neighborhood bees happy. Though we haven’t any beekeepers in the family, right now, the tradition is honored. Who knows? Maybe one of us will add it to life on Lot 4?
A visit from Mothra
Grillin’ and chillin’ over the weekend we had a visit from the biggest Sphinx Moth I’ve seen in this neck of the prairie. Yes, we called it Mothra.
About 4 inches nose to tail.
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