Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 123, No. 239 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
October 4, 2014
City, former RPD officer haggle over equipment BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
Relations between former Roswell Police Officer Brandon Beverly and the city were still strained on Friday when Beverly refused to return city-owned equipment to Mayor Dennis Kintigh. Reporters from the Roswell Daily Record and the Plains Valley Online News were invited by the mayor to accompany him on his attempt to retrieve the equipment. Beverly, 24, who was terminated from the police department last week for
attendance issues, has claimed that he was harassed by department of ficials, particularly Deputy Chief Brad McFadin, who had gone to Beverly’s house on Sept. 24 to retrieve Beverly’s service weapon, badge and commission card. Beverly has filed claims against the city stating he was harassed and faced discrimination during his 10 months at the Roswell Police Department. Kintigh invited members of the press along as witnesses, and knocked on Beverly’s door at 11:30 a.m. No one answered the
Rodeo action
SATURDAY
www.rdrnews.com
door, but as Kintigh and the reporters were leaving, Beverly called them back to the apartment. The mayor introduced himself to Beverly, but Beverly refused to talk to the mayor, and also refused to return the equipment. “This is just bizarre,” Kintigh said. Kintigh said he was not sure what the next step would be in retrieving the city’s property. Beverly has returned his weapon to the department, but he still is in possession of uniforms and a stun gun that belong to the city, said Kintigh.
McFadin told Beverly that failure to return city equipment could “result in possible allegations of embezzlement, as that property is not yours to keep” in a note the deputy chief left on Beverly’s door on Sept. 24. Beverly has asserted that the harassment at RPD began immediately. “It started when he was in the hiring process, when the interviewer told him he was going to be called ‘Urkel,’” said Noe Hernandez, Beverly’s representative and uncle. See RPD, Page A3
Bill Moffitt Photos
Right: Spectators watch the action at the Chisum Challenge Ranch Rodeo
Jared Tucker Photo
Mayor Dennis Kintigh speaks briefly with former Roswell Police Officer Brandon Beverly on Friday. Kintigh was attempting to retrieve some of the city’s equipment from Beverly, but Beverly closed the door and refused to communicate with the mayor or return the equipment.
Blue Cross tells some customers they must shift STAFF REPORT
Friday night at the Eastern
New Mexico State Fair.
ALBUQUERQUE — A major insurer is telling thousands of New Mexico residents that they’ll have to select new plans for individual health care coverage. Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico last week sent a letter to customers now covered by individual insurance plans that don’t meet the federal health care law’s standards. Congressman Steve Pearce, R-Hobbs, responded to the announcement on Friday. “New Mexicans and Americans nationwide were promised that if they liked their health care, they could keep it. This recent announcement is the latest instance of President Obama’s inability to keep his promise to the American people,” said Pearce. The change by Blue Cross Blue Shield will
Below: Fifteen teams of competitors line up for the
Chisum Challenge Ranch Rodeo at the Eastern New
Mexico State Fair Friday. The rodeo continues at 6 p.m. today.
affect coverage for approximately 30,000 people Jan. 1, according to the Associated Press. That includes 13,000 people whose plans had been grandfathered because they were in place before the law was enacted in 2010. New Mexico Insurance Superintendent John Franchini in May directed that all plans sold in New Mexico after Dec. 31 must comply with the law’s standards. The New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange offers plans by five dif ferent insurance companies, including Blue Cross. was “Obamacare designed to provide greater access to health care, not less. Since the Obamacare exchanges launched, the nation continues to see increased cost, decreased
Texas man dies after Ponce is a familiar fixture at the fair brake drum accident STAFF REPORT
A Texas man was killed in an unusual accident between Eunice and Hobbs Thursday after a brake drum plowed through the windshield of his vehicle. State police said an initial investigation determined Freddy Olivas Gonzalez, of Denver City, was traveling northbound on State Road 8, near mile post 1 at about 11:25 a.m., when his truck was struck by a brake drum that fell off a southbound vehicle. The brake drum bounced off the asphalt and went through the windshield of
Gonzalez’s 2012 white Dodge truck. Police said it appeared Gonzalez attempted to avoid the brake drum by leaving his lane of travel, but he was unsuccessful in avoiding it. Police said officers continue to try to identify the vehicle that lost its brake drum. Anyone with information about the other vehicle is asked to call the New Mexico State Police, Roswell Office, at 575-6227200. Gonzalez was pronounced deceased at the
Bill Moffitt Photo
BY BILL MOFFITT RECORD CORRESPONDENT
At the Easter n New Mexico State Fair, there are some things that you can count on and things that people look forward to year after year. One of those things is the good food at the St. John’s Catholic Church booth near the entrance to the fair. One of the fixtures there is retired U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Joe Ponce who’s been working at the booth “off and on” for years. He remembers his start in being a cook and cashier for St. John’s.
“I used to watch when my dad use to do it,” Ponce said. “I decided when I was 9 years old that that’s what I wanted to do, too.” Asabo, a dish made with beans and chile, is
Joe Ponce talks about his 27 years of working the St. John’s Catholic Church food booth at the Eastern New Mexico State Fair Thursday. Ponce said that it takes four hours of preparation time in order to make their selection of American and Mexican food extra tasty.
one of the Mexican food dishes that the booth is known for. They also offer hot dogs and green chile hamburgers.
Part of the money raised at the fair will go toward
See BLUE CROSS, Page A3
remodeling the church, he said. One sign says: “Tips go to help the poor.” Ponce married his wife, Pauline, at the church 45 years ago. He retired from the Army National Guard after 40 years in the military. The week spent at the fair is serious business to him, as well as time-consuming. “I get here about 7 a.m. to do prep work and to start getting ready for when we open at 11,” Ponce said. “We’re open until 11 p.m. and it’s usually midnight before we’re See PONCE, Page A2
Assurance Home turns crisis into hope for adolescents
See ACCIDENT, Page A3
STAFF REPORT
Assurance Home strives to offer comfort and healing to adolescent children who have suffered from abuse, neglect and abandonment. It provides “at risk” children with a safe, homelike environment that will teach them love, trust and hope for the future. The Chaves County United Way partner agency guides those children trapped in hopelessness and despair toward compassion, improved self-esteem and happier lives. “We are a therapeutic group home for boys and girls between
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TODAY’S FORECAST
the ages of 13 and 18 who need caring support and a safe place to live,” said Executive Director Ron Malone. “We also provide temporary shelter care at the James Ranch Youth Shelter for children in crisis.” Malone said often children do not have a safe place to go when things become difficult in their lives. They have no trusting adult or family member to turn to and are often easily victimized. “At James Ranch, children in need of help can find a safe environment where qualified and caring adults can offer a hand,” he said. “We provide temporary shelter care services and assistance in
THERE ARE NO OBITUARIES FOR TODAY. TODAY’S OBITUARIES
helping youngsters find out what is required to help make a difference in their lives.” Malone told the story of one child, Michael, as an example of how Assurance Home turns crisis into hope. “The day Michael’s father decided to kill himself is a day that Michael wishes he could forget,” Malone said. “On that day, his dad forced him into the bathroom and made him watch as he put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.” Malone said for years afterward, attempts would be made to place Michael with family members and in foster homes, but he was anx-
ious, nervous and scared.
“He had 14 placements in two years and he was so busy trying to adjust to new situations that he never had time to heal,” Malone said. “He had difficulty trusting adults and worked hard at destroying any attempts to bond with him. He was sullen, argumentative and quick to anger. His grades dropped and everyone was at a loss as to what to do for Michael.” Malone said when Michael first arrived at Assurance Home over a year ago, he kept his eyes glued to
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
FINANCIAL ..............B3
LOTTERIES .............A2
COMICS .................B5
HOROSCOPES .........A8
See HOME, Page A3 OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8