Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 123, No. 199 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
August 19, 2014
Portales man admits plot to kill his wife
STAFF REPORT
A Portales man pleaded guilty in federal court last week to trying to hire someone to murder his wife for $5,000. Cody Guss, 37, was charged with using a telephone in interstate commerce to commission a murder-for-hire. Guss entered a guilty plea to the charge Friday in federal court in Albuquerque, without the benefit of a plea agreement. He
faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison. Guss was arrested March 27 on a criminal complaint charging him with using a cellular telephone in interstate commerce to commission a murder-for-hire. The telephone communications occurred while Guss was in New Mexico and the undercover officer was in Texas, making the crime a federal offense. Guss was indicted on the charge in April. According to the indict-
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ment, Guss on March 26 used a telephone to negotiate his wife’s murder in exchange for $5,000. Guss between Feb. 27 and March 26 had telephone communications with an undercover officer of the Amarillo, Texas Police Department, court records stated. Guss told the undercover officer he would prefer his wife’s killing look like a suicide, and he provided the undercover of ficer with information about his wife’s prescription medication
that could potentially be used during the murder, according to court records. Guss said the best time for the murder would be prior to March 28 when Guss and his wife had scheduled a family and marriage counseling session. Guss said his wife has a variety of mental health issues and that his children would be better off without his wife, court records state. Guss met with the undercover officer in Clovis on March 26 to finalize
plans for the murder, court records state. During the March 26 meeting, Guss gave the undercover officer a key to his home and made arrangements for the officer to enter the residence while his wife was alone inside the home. Guss also gave the undercover of ficer a hand-drawn map to his residence and explained the closest residence to his was that of his 82- or 83year -old great-uncle who lived alone, court records state.
Ranch cowboys from the Bell Ranch compete in the penning competition on Saturday at the 26th annual New Mexico Championship Ranch Rodeo, which was held this past weekend in Roswell. Members of the Bell Ranch team include Zack Burson, Kris Wilson, Bryan Clark, Al Martinez, Donny Estrada and Elwyn McCleskey.
Authorities said Guss showed the undercover officer several photos of his wife so the would-be assassin could identify her.
Guss and the undercover See GUSS, Page A3
Rodeo features local cowboys in ranch competition BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Randal Seyler Photo
Guss described his wife’s daily habits and said he would leave his home at about 7:15 a.m. on the day of the planed murder to take his three children to school. Guss said he would be gone until 10 or 11 a.m., court records state.
Cowboys from Chaves County and surrounding communities gathered Friday and Saturday in Roswell for the 26th annual New Mexico Championship Ranch Rodeo. The family oriented event is a ranch rodeo, and is sanctioned by the Working Ranch Cowboy Association out of Amarillo, which means the winners of the Roswell rodeo go on to compete for world championship titles. Ranch rodeos dif fer from professional rodeos in that the skills used are those traditionally used by ranch cowboys, and the time limits are longer. “It’s not eight seconds and done,” said Mike Pierce of the Chaves County Rodeo Association. “And in a ranch rodeo, you see more events that happen every day on a ranch.” There is also a branding exhibition, which shows how animals were traditionally marked for identi-
fication. “The professional rodeos developed from the ranch rodeos, and they are performed in a more professional style,” Pierce said. “At the ranch rodeo, you see people who you see every day around town competing in the rodeo, and all their family members are in the audience.” Teams from 14 ranches competed in six different events over two evenings. Ranches represented with teams include Angell Ranch, Bell Ranch, Crossroads/Lewis, D&S/Battle Ax, Dagger Draw/Slash B, EC Cattle/Thompson Ranch, Elkins/Burnett, Geronimo/Dos Cabezas, L7/4T &K+, Myers Ranch, Singleton Ranches, Smith Cattle/Prio Mountain, Spires/Hager, Turkey Track. On Saturday, the Chaves County Rodeo Association awarded $18,500 in scholarships to 17 area students, See RODEO, Page A3
Xcel announces $30M makeover Officials started interviewing city manager candidates last week BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Xcel Energy announced plans Monday for a $30 million capital improvement project that is intended to boost electric transmission service in and around Roswell. The Minneapolis-based utility holding company said in a news release Monday the improved high-voltage transmission loop around Roswell is intended to keep pace with economic growth in the Roswell area. The company said transmission lines are the backbone of the power grid, moving power from generation sources to the towns and cities served. The company said the economy in southeastern New Mexico continues to expand, creating the need for a more robust delivery system. When the project is complete, the company said it will not only have more capacity on its system, but also more ways to re-route power in the event of power outages. Roswell Mayor Dennis Kintigh said Monday the upgrade is much appreciated. “The reality is infrastructure improvements are cru-
cial to growing a community,” Kintigh said. “You’ve got to have first-rate infrastructure. I’m very appreciative of Xcel Energy for making this kind of investment in our community.” The energy company said it has finalized plans for additional work on the high-voltage electric transmission loop serving Roswell as part of the company’s larger Power for the Plains grid reliability and capacity improvement projects. The company said work began in 2013 to upgrade the Capitan substation in western Roswell to accommodate 115-kilovolt transmission service. A new, 9mile segment of 115-kilovolt line connecting the Roswell substation in the central part of the city to the Capitan substation was completed earlier this year. A second phase of construction will start in the spring of 2017 as the company builds a 10-mile, 115 kilovolt line between the Capitan and Price substations in north Roswell, and a 4.7-mile, 115-kilovolt line connecting the Price and Chaves County substations. The company said an existing 69-kilovolt trans-
mission line south of Roswell will be removed from service when the new lines are complete. “Transmission lines are the ‘superhighways’ of the regional power grid, moving power from generation sources to load centers where it is delivered to local distribution systems,” the company said Monday. “The total investment in the Roswell transmission projects is close to $30 million.” Mike McLeod, regional manager of community and economic development in Roswell, said the Roswell upgrade would better prepare the utility for power outages. “Our system has to serve not only today’s needs, but also be built for future growth,” McLeod said. “The best way to prepare for these needs is to upgrade the existing 69-kilovolt system to 115 kilovolts, and to ensure we have multiple pathways for power to flow in the event of an outage on the system.” Xcel Energy began an ef fort to upgrade and expand its regional transmission network in 2010 when it launched the Power
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• ADELA LUPE MONTOYA SANCHEZ • TERRY DAVE BROWN
TODAY’S FORECAST
See XCEL, Page A3
Roswell councilors began the process of interviewing candidates for the city manager’s position last week, and met with a second candidate on Monday. City Manager Larry Fry announced his intention to leave the position during the City Council meeting in May. The city councilors, along with other city officials, are interviewing five candidates, and the first, Shawna Dowell Burkhart of Marble Falls, Texas, met with city officials on Thursday. Burkhart was most recently city manager for Converse, Texas, and she said she is looking for a city manager position in a town with a population between 20,000 and 50,000. “I appreciate communities of that size for what they can provide for my family,” Burkhart said, “and I enjoy the challenges of working with the city council’s vision and helping a community grow.” Burkhart said she was impressed by the city employees she had met
during her visit. “This community is poised for great things,” Burkhart said. “You have some terrific resources in your city employees.” The second candidate, Edward Burchins of Wilmington, North Carolina, was in town on Monday. Burchins, a consultant, was formerly the city manager of Laurinburg, North Carolina. “I have been a city manager for 25 years, about 99 percent of my career,” Burchins said. When asked about his management style, Burchins said he is an approachable person, and he likes to be visible in the community and available for employees and residents alike. “I have a coaching management style, and I like to work with employees and bring out their best efforts,” he said. A third candidate will be interviewed on Thursday, and the final two will be interviewed next week on Aug. 25 and Aug. 28. The City of Roswell posted an employment advertisement on the city web-
• LARRY WAYLAND GRIFFIN
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
FINANCIAL ..............B4
LOTTERIES .............A2
BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6
• CAROLYN BERTRAND HANKS
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site for a city manager in June. The salary range for the full-time job is $110,000 to $130,000.
Mayor Dennis Kintigh said during the meeting that Fry would remain in his position until he either finds another position or until Jan. 1.
Kintigh said a threemember selection committee has been appointed to assist the city in the job search. They are Ruben Bolanos, principal of Roswell High School; Greg Neal, vice president of New Mexico Veterans T ransportation Network; and Mike Gottlieb, a for mer Roswell Independent School District superintendent who is chairman of the committee.
Kintigh said once a candidate is selected, their name will be submitted to the City Council, who will then make the hiring decision.
City Editor Randal Seyler may be contacted at 6227710, ext. 311, or reporter02@rdrnews.com.
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SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8