Socorro County News

Socorro County Detention Center Personnel were trained on the new camera security system on Wednesday, July 16.

An hour and 15 minutes wasn't enough time Wednesday for Socorro County's Board of Commissioners to decide on a solution to a dispute about tax software, or legal action that has been taken by the county treasurer regarding the dispute.

After a lengthy executive session during the special meeting, the commissioners re-opened the meeting and agreed to postpone action on a court order that was issued by District Court Judge Edmund "Ted" Kase III last week.

The judge issued an alternative writ of mandamus July 8 directing the commission to provide an upgrade to the treasurer's existing software system, or show cause why it did not. The deadline to respond is next Wednesday.

A dozen Magdalena students were on hand Friday to witness the release of five more Aplomado Falcons at the tri-agency site about 20 miles south of San Antonio, N.M. The field trip was coordinated by the State ...

The Socorro County Chamber of Commerce has been awarded a state grant for $8,900 to be used to advertise and market the county.

Chamber Director Terry Tadano said he applied for the grant from the New Mexico Economic Development Department to assist the county's businesses with additional exposure to stabilize and "hopefully increase their service and sales."

Tadano said the chamber received $2,000 in the past year to help pay for a billboard on the west side of Interstate 25 at Bernardo, as well as for the chamber's web site development.

The mother of a slain Socorro woman has filed a lawsuit in District Court against three law enforcement officers, along with Socorro County and the City of Socorro in connection with an investigation into the February death of Eileen E. Gabaldon.

According to the civil complaint, Julia E. Gabaldon said Eileen Gabaldon's death could have been avoided and was caused by negligence on the part of Socorro police officer Michael Gonzales and Sheriff's deputies Michael Silva, Adrian Tapia and Steven Hall.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service offered an agreement with Socorro County, among others, which asked for cooperation and participation of policy documentation.

Citing a legal principal that holds an employer responsible for the actions of an employee, Julia Gabaldon has filed a wrongful death civil complaint against the city and county of Socorro.

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.

Socorro County's Board of  Commissioners said Tuesday that any renovations to Isidro Baca Memorial Park will involve input from a group of concerned citizens who don't want to see any reduction in size for the sake of more parking spaces.

Ann Baca and Leonard Clapes urged the commission to consider the meaning of the park when making any decisions about it, during the non-action items portion of the commission meeting.

Ann Baca is the sister of Isidro Baca, who was killed in action during the Vietnam War.

Don't wait until it's too late. If you have strong opinions about any of the issues likely to be addressed during the next legislative session, contact your representatives now.

Firefighters have contained all recent wildfires in Socorro and Catron counties, and officials said no new ones had started as of Tuesday morning, July 1. Cindy Wolfe, fire information officer for the U.S. ...

Weed is drying up, victimized by high grocery and gasoline prices that have forced the remote mountain hamlet's only general store to shut down and turn off its pumps.

Francisco Pino, 48, has been charged with 18 felony counts and two misdemeanors in connection with a search of his home that produced dynamite by federal agents, the Magdalena Marshal's office and the Socorro County Sheriff's Department last Wednesday.

According to the criminal complaint, Pino is charged with 16 counts of possession of destructive devices by a felon.

In 2002, Pino pled no contest to his fourth DWI, a fourth-degree felony.

The criminal counts include possession of one stick of slurry dynamite, nine blasting caps, three plastic ammonium nitrate/fuel oil sticks and a total of 36 feet of detonation primer cord.

Fifteen counts of possession of firearms or destructive devices by a felon were filed in Magistrate Court against Francisco "Frank" Pino, 48, of Magdalena.

June 1

An officer met with a woman in Veguita at 9 a.m. and learned that a neighbor's dog had come into the victim's yard and attacked one of her puppies. The puppy was dragged into the suspect's yard and mauled, causing severe cuts across the throat and on its body. The woman tried to get the dog off the puppy but was bitten on the leg in the attempt. The officer met with the owner of the loose dog and cited him into Magistrate Court. Photos of the puppy with injuries and the attacking dog which had evidence of the attack were taken.

The inmates who were transferred to McKinley and Cibola counties following a jail break are expected to be back in Socorro sometime next week.

Socorro County Detention Center administrator Evangel Maldonado said maintenance and repairs to the Socorro jail facility were nearly complete on Tuesday.

"Most of the maintenance will be finished soon," Maldonado said. "We're just waiting on the cameras."

There was no surveillance camera in operation to record a June 12 incident in which two inmates beat up a detention center guard, took his keys and fled.

Socorro County may just have to turn off the lights, close the doors and leave more than 100 county employees without jobs.

County Treasurer Genevie Baca told the county's commissioners Tuesday that unless they approved a new contract to upgrade her office's computer software, tax bills for 2008 will not be generated. That would mean no property tax collections, and therefore no money to meet payrolls.

Baca said AppLogix, a software provider that contracted with the county in October 2006 to create a pilot module for the county assessor's and treasurer's offices, has not met its deadlines or milestones for her office's module.

Socorro County Treasurer Genevie Baca came before the Socorro County Commission with a request for a one-time software license agreement with DataNow.

Wildfire danger is high in the county and Socorro County Fire Marshal Fred Hollis urges residents to use adequate precautions when lighting fireworks in the next couple of weeks.

In a special meeting Hollis called at the County Annex building Tuesday, city, state and federal agencies discussed fireworks and the increased danger of wildfires.

Cindy Wolfe of the Cibola National Forest's Ranger Station in Magdalena said it's important for the public to keep fireworks safety in mind.

"It is very dry now, and according to the weather service the monsoons will be late this season," Wolfe said. "In Magdalena we're already hearing fireworks going off, and everyone needs to be aware of the danger of incendiary devices landing in fields and setting off a grass fire."

Socorro County residents could qualify for low-interest home loans through a government program designed to accommodate families in rural areas.