Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 123, No. 224 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
September 17, 2014
WEDNESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Doggy Saviors get trial dates in connection to mauling BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Two Roswell women charged in connection with the June pit bull mauling of a Roswell boy expressed displeasure with the news coverage of their alleged criminal negligence after their court hearings Tuesday morning, including one woman who threatened to shoot anyone encroaching onto her property. Chaves County Magistrate Judge K.C. Rogers scheduled Dec. 11 trial
dates for both Sammye S. LaFlar and Janice C. Ensconatus, both of whom are charged with allowing dogs to run wild. The petty misdemeanor charges are each punishable with a jail sentence of up to 180 days and a $500 fine. The two women will face six-person jury trials if their cases proceed to trial. LaFlar, 59, of 503 N. Missouri Ave., is also charged with failure to vaccinate dogs. Ensconatus, 65, of 21 W.
Welcome back, Jessica!
Gallina Road, pleaded no contest on Aug. 26 to a charge of not having a license to operate a dog kennel. She was sentenced by Magistrate Judge John Halvorson to 90 days of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, which was suspended, and was ordered to pay $73 of court fees. Rogers scheduled a final pre-trial hearing for LaFlar at 10 a.m. Nov. 25. The judge scheduled a final pre-trial hearing for Ensconatus at 10 a.m. Nov. 26.
LaFlar and Both Ensconatus initially declined to comment after their court hearings Tuesday. The two women then expressed displeasure with the publication of their home addresses in the Daily Record, which is typical protocol for criminal defendants. Ensconatus then took it a step further. She told the Daily Record she owns a gun and would shoot anyone who encroaches onto her heavily canine-populat-
ed property. Ensconatus represented herself in court Tuesday, while LaFlar is being represented by Ruidoso attorney Gary Mitchell. Mitchell could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon. Mitchell asked Rogers Tuesday if the judge planned to hear both trials in a single day. Rogers said a single day should be sufficient. LaFlar and Ensconatus are charged in connection with the June 11 dog
attack of 9-year-old Colby Prince of Roswell. According to court records, LaFlar, the operator of the Roswell-based canine rescue group called Doggy Saviors, adopted 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
Airport committee discusses funding construction project
See TRIAL, Page A3
Dean Baldwin Painting project held up due to change orders BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
Shawn Naranjo Photo
Jessica Burson of Roswell is greeted by hometown fans as she arrives Monday night at the Roswell International Air Center after representing New Mexico in the Miss America Pageant held Sunday in Atlantic City, N.J. Presenting Burson with roses and other gifts is Courteney Walker, a senior at Goddard High School. Though Burson didn’t bring home the crown, she was awarded a $5,000 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) scholarship and was voted second place in the people’s choice contest. “It was a great experience and I came out with 52 new best friends,” Burson said of the pageant. “I enjoyed every bit of it, although it sometimes was challenging because of long hours.”
The Airport Committee approved seeking state money to complete a construction project at the Roswell International Air Center on Tuesday. The request for state funding will have to be approved by the City Council, but City Attor ney William Zarr said he was unsure if the requests will ultimately take the form of an ordinance or a resolution. “An ordinance requires publication and a public hearing, so it will take longer,” Zarr said. The requests include $350,000 in state economic development funds that will be used to complete some change orders at Dean Baldwin Painting, part of a
$2.2 million upgrade the Roswell facility was underway. A change order is a request for a change to a gover nment contract, in this case, for additional expenses of $350,000. Part of the renovation cost is being funded by a $750,000 Community Development Block Grant Development Funding administered by the City of Roswell. Plans to improve and upgrade the facility included erecting six walls of steel and girder construction to replace the curtain dividers, new air handling and heating equipment in the B767 bay and a new waste water treatment plant. Barbara Baldwin, CEO
State to get share of RMAC preparing for Art Block Party Tropical Storm Odile
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Severe weather from the tropical stor m that has caused flooding across Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula could bring up to nine inches of rain to parts of already flood-damaged areas of New Mexico. The National Weather Service said severe weather from Tropical Storm Odile will move across most of New Mexico this week, with the heaviest rains expected Thursday in the southern part of the state, where officials are concerned about flooding and mudslides in areas left bare by recent wildfires. “What we are concerned about is that this will be a long event,” said meteorolo-
gist Deirdre Kann. Flash flood watches already are in ef fect through early Wednesday in parts of southern and central New Mexico along the Rio Grande and in the state’s southwest mountains. Of ficials said the storms could produce 1 to 3 inches of rain during short periods, creating the threat of flash flooding. Ortero County in southern New Mexico also may see flooding Wednesday as severe weather could top spillways at Silver and Mescalero Lakes. In Las Cruces, officials said the Las Cruces Fire Department was handing See ODILE, Page A3
BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
The staf f at Roswell Museum and Art Center is preparing for the annual Art Block Party & Chalk Art Festival, set for Oct. 4. “We’re looking for volunteers,” Michael Hall, RMAC director, told the Board of Trustees during its monthly meeting on Monday at the museum. “We need volunteers to act as gofers and to relieve people who are working the booths,” Hall said. The annual Art Block Party takes place on the pavement of 11th Street from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the event offers multiple opportunities for parents to interact with their
Roswell Kiwanis Club Students of the Month Krimhilcla Garibay Carranza, left, a high school senior at New Mexico Military Institute, and Zoie White, a senior at Goddard High, listen to Col. David West, chief of staff at NMMI, discuss the upcoming General Obligation Bond election during Tuesday’s Kiwanis Club meeting.
HIGH 75 LOW 63
TODAY’S FORECAST
Members of the Roswell Museum and Art Center Board of Trustees discuss the upcoming Art Block Party & Chalk Art Festival during Monday’s meeting at RMAC.
The Block Party is a full day of fun, entertainment
and food, the website states. Along with arts and crafts vendors, the annual event of fers hands-on art activities,
children in a myriad of fun projects, according to the museum website.
This November, voters will have the opportunity to approve a General Obligation bond that will benefit higher education in Roswell while not increasing taxes. This bond is especially important for New Mexico Military Institute and Eastern New Mexico UniversityRoswell, said Col. David West, chief of staff at NMMI. West was speaking about the importance of the General Obligation bond to the
Roswell Kiwanis Club on Tuesday. The bond, Bond C, will be on the ballot for the Nov. 4 general election and the bond funds schools across the state. “General Obligation bonds expire every two years, and the last election was in 2012,” West said. “The funding is crucial, but the bonds don’t always pass.” In 2010, the GO bond failed by a small margin, and capital improvement projects planned for 2010 had to be put off until 2012.
For Chaves County, the Bond C funding will total $7.8 million and create 78 new jobs, according to election information provided by higheredbond.com. If the bond passes, NMMI stands to receive $4.8 million, which will be used for a renovation of Marshall Hall, West said. ENMU-R will receive $3 million, $1 million of which will be used for a new roof and boiler for the Aviation Maintenance Technology Center, $1.25 million will go toward security upgrades for campus and $750,000
• G.W. “MUTT” SHANKS • J. REFUGIO HERNANDEZ
• ESTHER LOPEZ LUJAN • ROBERT “SCOTTY” BLYMN
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B8 COMICS .................B7 ENTERTAINMENT .....B5 FINANCIAL ..............B4
including a “Crazy Hair Salon.” There are no entry or registration fees, Hall said. The public is welcome to participate in the free day of art, music and fun. The RMAC’s eighth annual Chalk Art Festival takes place the same day. The Chalk Art Festival is a judged competition in which participants compete for awards in several categories. The Chalk Art competition runs from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., with awards announced at 2 p.m. This year’s theme is “From the Sidewalk to the Stars,” and there are sep-
See RMAC, Page A3
NMMI looks for voter turnout in November
BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
Randal Seyler Photo
Randal Seyler Photo
See AIRPORT, Page A3
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A8
will go toward a new roof for the Learning Resource Center. “Everybody loves new buildings, but nobody ever wants to put their name on a boiler,” West said. Statewide, Bond C funding will total $139,755,000, which will be divided among higher education facilities across 21 counties in New Mexico. Marshall Infirmary, now called Marshall Hall, is a building from the 1920s
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
HOROSCOPES .........B5 LOTTERIES .............A2
See NMMI, Page A3 OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ............A10