Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 123, No. 142 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
June 13, 2014
FRIDAY
www.rdrnews.com
16 dogs from kennel rescue heading to Colorado Surviving two animals from attack kept in quarantine BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The 16 dogs from Doggy Saviors rescue that were not involved in Wednesday’s attack on a 9-year old boy were scheduled to be shipped to Colorado on Thursday, according to city officials. “Our position is if the dogs were not involved in the attack, and they are
being taken out of state, then so be it,” said Mayor Dennis Kintigh.
On Wednesday morning, a pack of three pit bull terrier -mixed breed dogs attacked a 9-year-old boy, sending the child to the hospital.
The boy’s father shot and killed one of the dogs, and wounded a second dog, which was later euthanized by animal control officers.
Getting a grip
The third pit bull-mix is being held for observation for rabies, as is a Lab-mix dog that was running with the other three animals but did not attack the boy. Neither of these two animals will be released to Colorado, Kintigh said. “We are not going to release these 16 animals to local residents,” the mayor said. “I have my concerns about them. But if they
want to take them to Colorado, then fine. They’re out of our community and they’re Colorado’s problem.”
The 9-year-old boy is out of the hospital and is recuperating at his great-grandmother’s house, said Cindy Prince, the boy’s paternal grandmother.
“He was dragged and his clothes were shredded off of him, he’s pretty bruised
Randal Seyler Photo
Youngsters in the First Tee of Southeastern New Mexico’s summer camp learn the basics of golf and enjoy a beautiful Spring morning on Thursday at New Mexico Military Institute’s golf course. The program teaches children 5-17 the basics of golf and character development.
Prescribed burn planned today in Chaves County STAFF REPORT
The Bureau of Land Management Roswell Field Office will begin today a prescribed burn operation approximately 10 miles north of Roswell in Chaves County. The Garcia Flats prescribed fire will be 160 acres and is located off Cottonwood Road along the Pecos River. The unit will be burned throughout June and continue throughout the summer monsoon season. Smoke from the burn may be visible from U.S. Highway 70 and possibly from Roswell. The BLM will post signs along roadways to inform motorists that may be affected by smoke. Motorists are urged to use caution by reducing speed and watching for fire personnel and equipment. The burn will improve wildlife habitats and contribute to the available nutrient and water cycles by
decreasing the amount of decadent vegetation. It will also serve as a live fire exercise for students taking a basic wildland firefighter course. The prescribed fire requirements include having the appropriate weather conditions and the required personnel and equipment on hand. Measures will be taken to reduce the amount of smoke created by the prescribed fire, and operations will be suspended early enough in the day to allow smoke to dissipate before nightfall. The BLM encourages public land users to continue to be careful with fire. To report a wildfire on public land, please call Alamogordo Interagency Dispatch at 877-695-1663. For more information on the BLM fire and fuels program, call Fire Management Specialist James Savage at 575-4207231.
Reba Burns, right, poses with Derek Miller and their daughter, Hae’leigh, following her graduation ceremony.
HIGH 93 LOW 68
TODAY’S FORECAST
maternal grandfather, was not happy that the animals were being released to Colorado. “I think they should all be put down,” Ferguson said. “We don’t know what kind of treatment they have had and we don’t know how they will behave.” Animal Shelter director Joseph Pacheco disagrees
BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
federal government related to the lesser prairie chicken designation. Nibert said Chaves County “can lend a unique argument” to the lawsuit, while limiting the county’s exposure to exorbitant legal costs. “We’re in the ring, we’re in the fight,” Nibert said at a special meeting of the commissioners Thursday. “Hopefully, we can survive long enough to have an impact on the federal government on these issues.” In the federal lawsuit filed in Midland, Texas, the petroleum association and Chaves, Eddy, Lea and Roosevelt counties allege the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated federal law in listing the lesser prairie chicken as threatened under the feder-
County joins chicken lawsuit Chaves County and three other southeaster n New Mexico counties have joined a lawsuit alleging regulatory abuse by the federal gover nment and challenging its decision to list the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species. The Chaves County commissioners last week approved paying $10,000 to become a co-plaintiff in the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Interior. The lawsuit was initiated by the Per mian Basin Petroleum Association and was filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. Commissioner Greg Nibert said it was the most af fordable legal option available to Chaves County compared to other lawsuits pending or filed against the
See DOGS, Page A2
APD releases camper shooting video ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — The Albuquerque Police Department released new video of the events that led up to officers fatally shooting a homeless man in March — a shooting that sparked a violent protest and angry calls for reform. On one of the videos released Wednesday, James Boyd, 38, is heard telling officers that he didn’t want to come down because he feared police would shoot him. An officer responds, “No, we wouldn’t.” The footage shows a number of officers surrounding James Boyd as police try to get him to surrender from his Sandia foothills campsite during the hours-long standoff. Boyd pulled out two knives on of ficers who had initially approached him and repeatedly threatened to kill of ficers, the videos showed. At times, the video shows Boyd, who police and health officials said suffered from schizophrenia, telling officers he’s a government agent and speaking of various plots against him. In another video, an officer is
See LAWSUIT, Page A3
AP Photo
In this photo taken from video shot March 16, 2014, James Boyd, 38, left, is shown during a standoff with officers in the Sandia foothills in Albuquerque, before police fatally shot him.
heard saying to another: “Try to keep him occupied then. We have a plan to take him into custody.” Previously released video from a helmet camera showed Boyd gathering his belongings in an apparent agreement to surrender. Officers then opened fire.
Boyd later died at a hospital. According to an autopsy report released last month, Boyd was killed by three gunshot wounds. The report said one gunshot wound to his upper right arm required surgical amputation of the arm as doctors tried to save his life.
Woman receives scholarships among hardships It’s been a tough year for one Roswell woman. Reba Burns, 18, not only had to deal with her senior year of high school but she also had to raise a child, all while working at Walmart. When Burns found out she was pregnant, she transferred to University High School in Roswell from Hager man High School. “It was really heartbreaking to leave,” she said.
Burns and her boyfriend, Derek Miller were excited when Hae’leigh was born. But everything wasn’t perfect. A few months after she was born, they found out Hae’Leigh was blind. They first noticed something was wrong when their daughter was around 2 months old. “She wasn’t focusing like she should have been,” Burns said. After a month passed without any improvement, the couple drove to Albuquerque and took Hae’Leigh to a specialist. It
was there that she was diagnosed with optic nerve hypoplasia. “The nerves in … the back of her eyes are small. (The specialist) said there’s nothing wrong with the front of her eyes, like the structure or anything. That’s why you can’t see her and tell that she is blind,” Burns said. Hae’Leigh also had an MRI done while she was in Albuquerque and was diagnosed with septo-optic dysplasia. “The tissue in the middle of her brain is gone,” Burns
• WALTON T. ISAACS • KERRY BEN DAUBERT • JAMES “JIM” ALOIS MARKL
• MARY P. JARAMILLO • ROBERT “BOB” SCOTT TERRY • PHYLLIS MCMAHON
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B7 COMICS .................A9 ENTERTAINMENT ...A10 FINANCIAL ..............B6
BY DYLANNE PETROS RECORD STAFF WRITER
Courtesy photo
up,” Prince said on Thursday. The boy was brought to a local hospital then flown to Lubbock, Texas, for advanced medical care. The doctors were concer ned about the possibility of him having nerve or arterial damage, but he had neither type of damage. “We had a real miracle there,” Prince said. Jack Ferguson, the boy’s
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A8
said. Despite all the hardships, Burns managed to graduate as valedictorian. “I didn’t really try and become valedictorian. I was just trying to do the best that I could,” she said. Since being named valedictorian, Burns received the Presidential and merit scholarships. Jean Snyder, University High School counselor, worked closely with Burns during her last year in
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
HOROSCOPES .........B8 LOTTERIES .............A2
See BURNS, Page A2 OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ............A10