Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 123, No. 212 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
September 3, 2014
Dog saviors charged in connection to mauling BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Two Roswell women purportedly dedicated to rescuing dogs have been cited with petty misdemeanor crimes in connection to the June dog mauling of a Roswell boy. Sammye S. LaFlar, of 503 W. Missouri Ave., and Janice C. Ensconatus, of 21 W. Gallina Road, are both scheduled to appear before Chaves County Magistrate Court Judge K.C. Rogers at
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8:30 a.m. on Sept. 16 for pre-trial hearings. LaFlar and Ensconatus are each charged with allowing dogs to run wild. In addition, LaFlar is charged with failure to vaccinate her rescued dogs. Under state law, any person who owns or keeps a dog or cat over the age of 3 months in New Mexico must have the dog or cat vaccinated against rabies. LaFlar, 59, and Ensconatus, 65, are both charged with petty misdemeanors.
Each of the petty misdemeanors is punishable with a jail sentence of up to 180 days and a $500 fine. Neither LaFlar nor Ensconatus could be reached for comment Tuesday. The charges stem from the June 11 dog attack of a 9-year-old Colby Prince of Roswell, which left the boy physically and emotionally scarred. According to court records, LaFlar, operator of a Roswell-based canine res-
cue group called Doggy Saviors, adopted three mixed-breed pit bull dogs from Roswell Animal Control Services.
LaFlar subsequently transferred the animals to Ensconatus, who had the animals housed at the barn of Billy D. Fugate at 5196 Vista Lane. Chaves County animal control deputy Laura Hite said the three pit bulls escaped their confinement in the barn and at least two of them attacked Prince at
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his neighboring home in the 5000 block of Vista Lane the morning of June 11.
Hite reported Ensconatus was fostering 18 dogs rescued by Doggy Saviors at Fugate’s barn along Vista Lane, including the dogs that escaped their cages June 11 and attacked Prince. Two of the dogs were subsequently put down.
“They attacked and mauled a 9-year-old boy on his own property, causing
Man prosecuted as ‘Worst of the Worst’ criminal STAFF REPORT
Randal Seyler Photos
Above: Barbara Gonzalez, coordinator of the annual Mud, Sweat & Tears mud run, presents a check for $1,250 to Jimmy Montoya, left, and Bill White, right, of the American Legion Riders Chapter 21 Post 28 on Friday, Aug. 29. The funds were raised through this year’s mud run, held on Aug. 16, and this year there was also a Color, Sweat & Cheers run, held on Aug. 15. Left: Nicole Vargas, left, receives a $1,250 donation from Barbara Gonzalez for Adopt A Soldier, a project Vargas runs which sends care packages to U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan. The funds were raised from the “Are You Tough Enough For Two?” weekend, which featured a mud run and a color run.
several lacerations and punctures to his upper body,” Hite wrote in LaFlar’s criminal complaint. “There was no proof of the dogs having their rabies vaccinations at the time of the attack.” “The dogs were running around Vista Lane,” Hite wrote in the criminal complaint for Ensconatus. In an Aug. 6 court filing, LaFlar’s attor ney, Gary Mitchell, said he planned to
A Roswell man who pleaded guilty to methamphetamine trafficking in Chaves County has been sentenced to more than 15 years in federal prison. Jonathan Madrid, 28, was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Las Cruces to 188 months in federal prison to be followed by four years of supervised release. Madrid was prosecuted as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution, stated a news release from the office of Damon P. Martinez, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico. Under the initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s district attorneys and state and local law
See DOGS, Page A3
enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution. The goal is to remove repeat offenders from communities for as long as possible. Madrid was charged based on an investigation conducted by the Las Cruces office of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, court records state. The Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force assisted in the investigation. As part of the investigation, ATF executed a federal search warrant and searched a vehicle Madrid was driving on June 6, 2013. Federal agents seized multiple small baggies of meth, a digital scale and $168 from Madrid’s pocket,
New Mexico included in Memo: No error in handling child immigrants latest VA Pilot Program STAFF REPORT
WASHINGTON — New Mexico’s Department of Veterans’ Services was one of five entities selected to participate in a new pilot program to assist veterans and their families, living in rural or underserved communities, transition from military service to civilian life. In separate news releases, U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce (R-Hobbs) and Sen. Tom Udall (D-Santa Fe) both applauded the Department of Veterans Af fairs’ announcement on Tuesday. According to the VA, the New Mexico department will receive $2 million in federal grants to increase access to health care and
benefits for veterans and their families through the Rural Veterans Coordination Pilot (RVCP) program. “I am pleased that we will be able to provide muchneeded assistance to our rural veterans and their families,” said Pearce. “Transitioning care from the military to the VA continues to be a weakness within our veterans’ support system. This program will work to make this extremely difficult adjustment an easier process. “In August, Chair man Jeff Miller and Congressman Beto O’Rourke joined me in meeting with Army and VA staff about this very issue at Fort Bliss,” Pearce See VA, Page A3
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal investigation that included surprise inspections was unable to substantiate 16 accusations by advocacy groups that the government packed into frigid cells children caught crossing the border alone, made them sleep on hard floors and provided inadequate food and medical care. Other claims about treatment of the children are still under review, according to the Homeland Security Department. Inspector General John Roth said in a memo made public Tuesday that immigrants alternately complain that detention facilities are too cold or too hot, but either way, there are cloth or disposable blankets. Likewise, Roth said food service has also improved since the American Civil Liberties Union and four other advocacy groups in June
See MEMO, Page A3
Gary Spreacker, left, listens as Capt. John Dove of the Salvation Army discusses the Roswell food bank and its operation at Tuesday’s Kiwanis Club meeting.
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This June 26 file photo shows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement press secretary Barbara Gonzales in a barracks for law enforcement trainees that was turned into an immigrant detention center at the Federal Law Enforcement Center (FLETC) in Artesia. Investigators made three unannounced visits to the family detention center in Artesia, where more than 600 immigrant women and their children have been held since late June. Inspector General John Roth said investigators did not see any misconduct during any of the site visits.
Captain: Salvation Army Food Bank needs donations Food pantry in need of groceries, lifting equipment BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
Randal Seyler Photo
See CRIMINAL, Page A3
The Salvation Army Food Bank is in need of donations to help feed people in Roswell and Southeastern New Mexico, said Capt. John Dove, the new corps officer for the local Salvation Army. Dove, who arrived in Roswell on July 30, visited the Roswell Kiwanis Club on Tuesday and discussed the role the federally sup-
• DAWN LANICE MORETTO • LORI ANN SANDERS • ANITA ANN WILSON-MATTUS
ported food bank plays in the community. “Our food bank is the only one in the country where the Salvation Army is working with the government, and we hope this will be a model for our food banks in other communities,” Dove said. The government provides food for our seniors, but we often have people come to the food bank for help that don’t qualify for the federally supported program.” A lot of senior citizens
face food insecurity due to their fixed incomes being eaten up by medical bills, Dove said, and for many of them, the box of food the Salvation Army provides monthly through the food bank is a lifesaver. However, the local food bank is often approached by people who are not seniors, yet who still need food. This pantry has been hit hard in the recent months, Dove said, and the Salvation Army is seeking donations of food to help
• JO ANN MAREK MALONEY • WILLIAM BILL SUGGS
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B8 COMICS .................B7 ENTERTAINMENT ...A10 FINANCIAL ..............B5
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restock.
The food bank is also in need of equipment, Dove said, such as forklifts and pallet jacks for the warehouse, and he said any donations of usable equipment for the warehouse would be greatly appreciated.
The Salvation Army also holds a monthly pancake breakfast, which is a popular event and a primary See SALVATION, Page A2
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2 HOROSCOPES .......A10
LOTTERIES .............A2
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ............A10