Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 124, No. 15 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
January 17, 2015
SATURDAY
www.rdrnews.com
‘Doggy Savior’ sentenced to unsupervised probation BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
One of two Roswell women charged in connection to the dog mauling of a Roswell boy last summer has been sentenced to unsupervised probation and court costs. Janice C. Ensconatus pleaded no contest Wednesday in Chaves County Magistrate Court to three charges of dogs running/found at large. Ensconatus, who represented herself in the case,
pleaded no contest Wednesday to the three petty misdemeanor charges on the eve of her jury trial.
Ensconatus, whose oneday trial had been scheduled for Thursday, pleaded no contest to the charges during a plea and disposition hearing Wednesday. A six-person jury had been chosen, but did not hear the case because of Ensconatus’ last-minute no contest pleas. Ensconatus, 66, was initially charged June 19. Her trial was delayed on multi-
ple occasions. Ensconatus was sentenced Wednesday by Chaves County Magistrate Judge Pat Casados to 182 days of unsupervised release for each of the three charges, with the sentences to run concurrently. Ensconatus was not fined, although she was ordered to pay $179 of court costs within 30 days. Ensconatus faced a maximum possible penalty of 180 days in jail and a $500 fine on each of the three misdemeanor petty
charges. Ensconatus has been associated with Doggy Saviors, a controversial Roswell-based canine rescue group implicated in the June dog mauling of 9year -old Colby Prince of Roswell. Ensconatus and Sammye S. LaFlar, the operator of Doggy Saviors, were both charged with allowing dogs to run wild after the June 11 attack. LaFlar, 59, is scheduled to stand trial Feb. 12 before Magistrate Judge K.C.
Rogers on one petty misdemeanor charge of dogs running/found at large and one misdemeanor charge of failure to vaccinate dogs. In addition, Ensconatus pleaded no contest in August to a charge of not having a license to operate a dog kennel. She was sentenced then by Magistrate Judge John Halvorson to 90 days of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, which was suspended, and $73 of court fees. According to court records, LaFlar adopted
Mayor, developer discuss plans for museum annex
A handful of residents, artists and businessmen peered into the future of downtown Roswell on Friday. About 30 people gathered at the site of what Mayor Dennis Kintigh called “a bold concept” — a Roswell Museum and Art Center annex downtown on Third Street, in a building being renovated by developer Trey Nesselrodt. The RMAC trustees discussed the plan in November, which calls for the creation of a 15,000 squarefoot children’s museum between Second and Third streets, where Nesselrodt is looking to develop a market and restaurant. “This is an idea Trey and I have bounced off each other for months,” Kintigh said. The city would lease a portion of the building for
Developer Trey Nesselrodt, standing, center, discusses his plans for a downtown development that includes a children’s museum and annex of the Roswell Museum and Art Center during an informal meeting.
Right: Submitted Photo
Roswell architect Donald Daugherty’s sketch of the planned development with the pavillion for the Spring River Park and Zoo carousel removed.
City lacks ambulances for oversized patients BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
If you weigh more than 400 pounds, your next trip to the hospital might be in a trailer instead of an ambulance. Superior Ambulance does not have a bariatric ambulance, which is a vehicle modified to carry the severely obese. Bariatric ambulances typically have special stretchers and lifting devices to allow the safe loading and unloading of bigger than usual patients. Members of the Ambulance Administrative Oversight Committee asked Superior Ambulance CEO
Chris Archuleta about the bariatric unit and other concerns during the committee’s quarterly meeting on Wednesday at Fire Station No. 1. “We’ve had this conversation before a number of times,” said Devin Graham, Roswell’s acting fire chief. “We were talking about this longer than six months ago.” “We need to look into getting a bariatric unit,” Archuleta said. Graham said the fire department had modified a trailer to haul one severely obese patient, but that See AMBULANCES, Page A3
AP Photo
House Speaker John Boehner, left, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell meet with the press at the GOP retreat at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pa., Thursday.
HIGH 61 LOW 27
TODAY’S FORECAST
See DOGS, Page A3
a museum, while Nesselrodt would develop the rest of the building. He said he envisioned the market to be a Trader Joe’s type of business. Funding for the project would come from the city’s Lodger’s Tax, the mayor said. “This facility will be a subset of the RMAC, and I would defer to (Museum Director) Mike Hall and his trustees to come up with a game plan,” Kintigh said. Kintigh said he would like to see the new museum open on Jan. 1, 2016. Nesselrodt estimated the project would take about 18 months, however. Nesselrodt presented architect’s renderings of the facility, one showing the museum, a food market and a restaurant, along with a pavilion to house the historic carousel which
BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
Above: Randal Seyler Photo
three mixed-breed pit bull dogs from Roswell Animal Control Services and transferred the animals to Ensconatus, who had the dogs housed at the barn of Billy D. Fugate at 5196 Vista Lane. Chaves County animal control deputy Laura Hite reported the three pit bulls escaped the barn and at least two of them attacked Prince on his neighboring property in the 5000 block of Vista Lane the morning
See ANNEX, Page A3
Gonzales’ group heads for Mexico
Randal Seyler Photo
Jim Ridgway, left, and Johnny Gonzales load a van with toys and supplies bound for Juarez, Mexico, on Friday. Gonzales said his Community Volunteers group takes extra toys and clothes to Juarez for distribution to children in orphanages.
“We’re going to go give toys and preach Jesus to the children,” Ridgway said.
Gonzales is also in the process of opening an office where food, clothing and other items will be distributed in Roswell.
Donations are always welcome. Gonzales may be contacted at 317-1769.
GOP to offer its own solutions on immigration
HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) — Republican lawmakers deter mined to counter President Barack Obama on immigration want to advance solutions of their own, starting with a border security bill and perhaps moving on to tackle other aspects of the broken system. It’s a goal House Republicans have tried and failed to achieve for the past two years, even as the Senate passed a comprehensive, bipartisan bill that ultimately died because of inaction in the House.
But as House and Senate Republicans met for a joint retreat in this capital of chocolate and sweets, lawmakers said that with the Senate now under GOP control, they have a new opportunity to take aim at immigration with their own, step-by-step approach. Many viewed the Senate’s bill as amnesty because it included a path to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally, and they want to take a much different tack. “It is happening now because members want it
to happen, the American people want it to happen,” Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., a conservative on the issue, said Friday as the retreat wrapped up and lawmakers headed out of the homey Hershey Lodge to board buses and vans back to Washington. “We should do a border bill first, secure our borders,” Barletta said. “It’s a big job, and it’s going to be a tough bill.” Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, who chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security, out-
• DON MILLER • LAURA M. RIDDLE • HUGH WILEY PUCKETT JR.
• SONNY WIGINTON • VEVA BRYD
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 FINANCIAL ..............B3
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE B4
lined proposed border legislation to lawmakers at the retreat, including penalties for select administration officials who fail to comply with border security provisions within the bill.
The discussions came as lawmakers struggled for a path forward on a related issue: How to stop Obama’s executive actions on immigration that have offered work permits and protection from deportations to millions.
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2
See GOP, Page A3
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8