Lemitar News

June 26

A woman in Polvadera reported at 11 p.m. that her brother had come home drunk and started to beat her. She said she did not know why he hit her and stated that he told her not to report it and that if she did, he would kill her. Officers noted physical evidence of her being battered. The brother left before police arrived and could not be located.

July 1

* A San Antonio man reported at 7:30 a.m. that someone came in through his bathroom window and stole weapons and computer equipment. Footprints and latent prints were located.

At this rate, the Jacobs family might need to build another house to store all of the buckles and saddles that are piling up.

Makayla Jacobs, who will be entering the seventh grade at Sarracino Middle School, became a national champion in the rodeo sport of pole bending earlier this month.

Jacobs, 12, beat 167 other girls between sixth and eighth grades at the week-long Wrangler Junior High School Finals Rodeo in Gallup. With the win, she earned her eighth saddle, as well as another buckle to add to an already impressive collection.

Margie Owen Daniels Wilmot, 66, passed away July 3, 2008, in Albuquerque, N.M., surrounded by her family. She was born Feb. 3, 1942.

Margie is preceded in death by her parents: Jack and Lukie Owen, of Lemitar, N.M.; and son, Jimmy Daniels, of Salt Lake City, Utah.

She is survived by her loving husband, Cal Wilmot, of Rio Rancho, N.M. She was a loving mother to Aaron Daniels Gonzales and husband, Melvin, of San Antonio, N.M.; Tambra Danley and husband, Price, of Hillsboro, Ore.; Lucretia Daniels of Albuquerque; and Josh Wilmot and wife, Dana, of Rio Rancho.

June 11

A woman in Lemitar reported at 11 a.m. that she had found that her cat had been killed and placed in a trash bag on her neighbor's property. She stated that she heard a gunshot coming from the neighbor's property on the day her cat went missing and tried to speak with the suspect but never got any response. The officer learned that the suspect told a family member he  shot at a coyote ... which almost rhymes with "cat."

June 13

A woman on Highway 1 reported at 10:30 a.m. that she had been gone for a week and upon returning, noticed that her travel trailer was missing. She stated that the trailer had been loaded with material for remodeling but whoever took the trailer had unloaded the material. No suspect at time of report.

Albert C. (Cavra) Padilla, 67, was called home to be with our Lord and Savior on Friday, June 27, 2008, surrounded by his loving and adoring family.

He was born June 15, 1941, in Lemitar, N.M., to Charlie B. and Katherine (Abadalla) Padilla. He served in the Army and Army National Guard.

He worked as a supervisor for Ponderosa Products of Albuquerque, N.M., as well as a public servant for the City and County of Socorro, N.M.

Albert is preceded in death by his loving mother; and his younger brother, Kenny T. Padilla.

To the Editor:

Mr. Bustamante's recent letter to the Mountain Mail signed by nine of the 11 trustees defending the status quo of the Socorro Electric Cooperative's management practices failed to address the very problems covered by the

SEC Reform Committee's petition, which currently has several hundred signatures.

The Coop's trustees are neither following their own bylaws in regard to equal representation of their members, nor are they operating the Coop cost-effectively.

Currently, the six District 3 (Socorro) trustees, the one District 2 (Polvadera and Lemitar) trustee and the District 4 (San Antonio) trustee only represent 600-plus members apiece, while the one trustee from District 1 (Veguita) represents 1,487 members, and the two trustees from District 5 (Magdalena, Datil, Pietown, Quemado and Fence Lake) represent 1,340 members apiece.

Three people were arrested last weekend in separate drug-related incidents. Two women were arrested and charged after Socorro police officers executed a search warrant at a Loma Vista apartment on El Camino ...

Rogerio "Roy" Gonzales, 67, passed away Monday, May 5, 2008, in Albuquerque, N.M.

He was born Sept. 12, 1940 in Socorro, N.M., to Joseleon and Catalina (Saavedra) Gonzales.  

He is preceded in death by his father; and his step-daughters: Connie Duran and Beverly Gonzales. He is survived by his wife, Maria Anaya Gonzales of their home in Socorro; sons: Roy Gonzales Jr. of Las Cruces, N.M.; Joseph Gonzales and Timothy Gonzales, both of Socorro; step-children: Angie O'Donnell, Charlene Martinez, Avelino Gonzales Jr., George Gonzales, Sammy Gonzales, Robert M. Gonzales and Veronica Gonzales, all of Socorro; Amalia Felix and Johnny Ray Gonzales, both of Belen, N.M.; and Daniel Gonzales of Lemitar, N.M.; mother, Catalina Gonzales of Las Cruces; brothers: Florencio Gonzales of Albuquerque, Joseleno Gonzales Jr., Gabriel Gonzales and Estevan Gonzales, all of Las Cruces; and Sixto Gonzales of Socorro; sisters: Esther Gonzales of Las Cruces; Ophelia Barela of Las Vegas, Nev.; Eleanore Biddle of Utah; and Maria Padilla of Socorro; seven grandchildren; 29 step-grandchildren; and 44 great grandchildren.   Read more

“So I'm a little uneasy, I guess, about where we're headed with this”

Petition asks that the board be reduced in number The Socorro County Com-mission has heard complaints about unequal representation on the Socorro Electric Cooperative Inc. via El Defensor Chieftain

“Usually, when you hear retablo, it's related to something Catholic. Like, you might see Jesus or Mary.”

Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: Culture As long as Ken Fincke can remember, he has been making art out of trash. via Daily Lobo

“Right now there are 11 board members serving the five districts”

A group of Socorro County residents gathered for an informal meeting in the Skeen Library at New Mexico Tech Sunday to discuss concerns with electricity rates and to examine the bylaws of the Socorro Electric Cooperative.

SEC District 5 Board Trustee Charles Wagner told the group of about 20 that co-op members -- those who get electricity from Socorro Electric Cooperative -- could petition the board to make changes in the co-op's bylaws.

Charlene West of Lemitar is forming a committee to draft a petition that would require that all meetings of the board be open to members and the press, that there be only one monthly board meeting and that the number of trustees representing the district, which includes the city of Socorro, be reduced from six to three. The committee is called Socorro Electric Cooperative Members For Reform. Read more

Thomas Eugene Zimmerman, 68, passed away Monday, March 24, 2008, near Socorro, N.M.

Tom was born November 8, 1939, in Albuquerque, N.M., to C.C. and Agnes E. "Bill" (Hughes) Zimmerman. He was a lifelong resident of Socorro. He was elected sheriff of Socorro County in the early 70's. He was a graduate of the FBI Academy and he later retired as director of campus police at New Mexico Tech after nearly 25 years.

Tom was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Socorro and was a member of the Rio Grande Mule and Donkey Club. He was also a member of the Socorro Masonic Lodge. He is preceded in death by his parents; and his brother, Jack Zimmerman. He is survived by his wife, Sally Ann (Dean) Zimmerman of their home in Lemitar, N.M.; son, Ty Zimmerman and wife, Melissa, of Socorro; daughter, Kim Milligan and husband, Kenny, of Magdalena, N.M.; brothers: Bob Zimmerman and wife, Janet, of Socorro; and Larry Zimmerman and wife, Bev, of Albuquerque; sisters: Maxine Miller and husband, George of Vernal, Utah; Janet Brown and husband, Benny of Aztec, N.M.; and LaVella Mercer of Escondida, N.M.; grandchildren: J.T. Milligan, Ryan Milligan, Bryce Milligan, Jonathan Chavez, Brianna Zimmerman and Dillon Zimmerman; brother-in-law, George Dean and wife, Gwen; sister-in-law, Connie Lindsay and husband, Preston; and other relatives and many friends. Read more

“These are serious charges and we hope we're able to build a case and get a conviction on all counts. The citizens of Socorro and the police department are not going to tolerate this”

Diners at a popular California Street restaurant narrowly escaped serious injury Monday when a teenager fired a semi-automatic weapon from the opposite side of the street.

One 9mm bullet passed through the west wall of the China Best Buffet restaurant and ricocheted around the dining room. The bullet entered over a dining boot, then ricocheted off a buffet table and ended up on the floor near the restaurant entrance.

A police report stated the teenager was allegedly shooting at three other teenagers in a car at 8:45 p.m. Monday at the Diamond Shamrock gas station. Ten 9mm shell casings were found on the ground at scene. Read more

“Alcohol does not appear to be a factor”

ADUNCAN A former Socorro County Sheriff and his cousin died after a car crash that occurred while they were traveling in separate vehicles and going in opposite directions on I-25, north of the Lemitar Exit on ... via El Defensor Chieftain

“I'm real proud of my officers”

ECRONCE Jilberto Chavez, 18, of Socorro was arrested by Socorro city police Monday at a residence in Lemitar. via El Defensor Chieftain

Police say two cousins traveling in the opposite direction on Interstate 25 in central New Mexico have been killed in a traffic crash. via Fox News

Police said an accident on Interstate 25 near Lemitar, N.M. has claimed two lives Monday. via KOAT.com

Feb. 19

A man on Farm Market Road reported at 5:30 p.m. that someone had kicked open the front door to his residence and took several items, including weapons. No suspects at time of report.

Feb. 27

* A man in Veguita reported at 6 a.m. that someone was dumping their trash at Cordova and Orlando Road. No suspects at time of report.

* A man in the 4000 block of Chaparral reported at 6:30 p.m. that he was at a Lemitar business when a suspect punched him. Victim said that they got into a fight and that he was just defending himself. The officer met with the suspect who claimed that it was the other man who threw the first punch. Both were told to stay away from each other. Read more

“Stan sold an 18-inch locomotive headlight and I remember it seemed enormous to me as a kid”

For many men, the semi-annual Tumbleweed Auction is a time of joy. For many women, it is a time of distraction. The annual spring auction is begins Thursday and continues through Saturday.

There is a saying that says "one man's excess farm equipment, is another man's treasure" or something to that effect.

The Tumbleweed Auction is as much a part of Socorro culture as Festival of the Cranes. It wasn't always this way. Tumbleweed Equipment and auction started in the 1980's in Belen where founder Stan Burns auctioned stage coaches on the square. Read more

State Police have confirmed the identity of the body found near Escondida Lake Jan. 18. It has been identified as that of Pete Lujan, 46, of Lemitar.

Lt. Rick Englada of the New Mexico State Police said a woodcutter collecting firewood discovered the body Jan. 18 in a remote wooded area east of the channel.

State Police initially were unable to identify the man, who carried had no ID.

"According to his girlfriend and mother he had taken quite of bit of his girlfriend's prescription medication, Xanax," Englada said. "He had also apparently taken a quantity of cocaine." Read more