Roswell Daily Record
No indictment in Ferguson shooting
Vol. 123, No. 283 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — A grand jury has decided not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown, the unarmed, black 18-year -old whose fatal shooting sparked weeks of sometimes-violent protests. St. Louis County Prosecuting Bob McCulloch Attor ney announced the decision Monday evening. A grand jury of nine
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
November 25, 2014
TUESDAY
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whites and three blacks had been meeting weekly since Aug. 20 to consider evidence. At least nine votes would have been required to indict Wilson. The Justice Department is conducting an investigation into possible civil rights violations that could result in federal charges. Brown’s Aug. 9 death sparked more than a week of unrest that included angry clashes between
police and protesters and led Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to briefly summon the National Guard. Hours before the announcement, dozens of people gathered in the parking lot across the street from the Ferguson Police Department. Many stood right at the edge of the lot, almost in the street, chanting “no justice, no peace, no racist police.”
You can pack a lot of love in a shoebox
One woman leading the group screamed through a bullhorn “indict that cop. Police don’t like it. We want an indictment.” Several young men in hooded sweatshirts that said “Peace Keepers” kept people from streaming into the street. A couple of people approached the police department building, but a woman asked them to protest the right way and pulled them into a prayer circle.
Shortly after that, 15 uniformed officers came out to monitor the protests. The grand jury has been considering charges against Darren Wilson, the white suburban St. Louis officer who fatally shot the black 18-year-old after a confrontation in August. The Aug. 9 shooting inflamed
Two plead on meth charges
See FERGUSON, Page A6
STAFF REPORT
Max Scally Photo
Grace Community Church in Roswell is once again a collection center for Operation Christmas Child Shoebox gifts. Shoeboxes are filled with basic necessities like socks and toothbrushes and then shipped overseas to children facing poverty in war-town countries like Iraq and Syria. The boxes were collected from Roswell, Artesia, Carlsbad, Lovington and Ruidoso. Altogether 5,304 boxes were collected. Along with organizer Teresa Davis-McKee, members of Goddard High School’s Key Club are shown loading the truck. They are, from left, Angel Guanujuato, Omar Mejia and Tyler McKee. “I want to thank all the churches and organizations who participated,” Davis-McKee said. “Without their generosity we could not have done this.”
Two more Curry County residents have pleaded guilty in federal court to trafficking methamphetamine in the county. Jeanette Driever, 37, of Grady, and John Jesse Perez Jr., 45, of Clovis, pleaded guilty in federal court in Las Cruces Thursday to federal drug traf ficking charges. Driever and Perez both pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute a pound of meth in Curry County. Their co-defendant, Christopher Jason Kidd, 38, also of Clovis, pleaded guilty to a similar charge last week. According to Kidd’s plea agreement, Kidd and co-defendant Tina Tafoya, 33, also of Clovis, on Nov. 9, 2013, supplied a pound of
meth to Driever and Perez. Kidd and Tafoya possessed another halfpound of meth at their residence. Driever, Perez, Kidd and Tafoya were indicted in February 2014 on federal methamphetamine trafficking charges. Count 1 of the threecount indictment alleged that the defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Curry County between September and November 2013. Count 2 alleged that Kidd and Tafoya possessed meth with intent to distribute on Nov. 6, 2013. Count 3 alleged that Driever and Perez possessed meth with intent to distribute on Nov. 6, 2013. During her plea hear-
Mendenhall arrested on warrant in separate case STAFF REPORT
Police arrested a man they call a “person of interest” on a warrant unrelated to the suspicious death for which he was being sought by authorities, according to a news release from the Roswell Police Department. Justin Tyler Mendenhall, 27, of Roswell, was taken into custody around 10:45 a.m. Sunday. He is a person of interest in the case of the suspicious death of David Duer, 42, or Roswell.
An anonymous tip led Roswell Police to a house in the county area about three miles northeast of the city. Police say Mendenhall was found inside the house after the homeowner — the only other person in the house at the time — gave consent for a search by Roswell Police, along with of ficers from the Chaves County Sheriff’s Of fice and New Mexico State Police. The homeowner had allowed Mendenhall to stay in a separate “shop” build-
ing on the property, but Mendenhall happened to be inside the house at the time officers arrived. He was arrested on a warrant for violating conditions of release in a fraud case. The warrant was unrelated to Duer’s death, according to the release. Police believe the homeowner is only an acquaintance of Mendenhall’s and was unaware Mendenhall had an arrest warrant and was being sought by police for questioning. The homeowner is not facing any charges related to allowing
Mendenhall to stay there, according to police. Following his arrest, Mendenhall’s attorney told investigators Mendenhall would not be making any statement. Acting with a search warrant, investigators collected clothing and DNA samples, as well as fingerprints, from Mendenhall before he was booked into the Chaves County Detention Center on a $5,000 cash-only bond in connection to the conditions-of-release violation in the fraud case. Paramedics were called
See METH, Page A3
to Duer’s home in the 2600 block of Sherrill Lane shortly before 5 a.m. on Friday, where Duer was found to be unresponsive and not breathing. He was taken to Eastern New Mexico Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Police say Mendenhall was at Duer’s house on Thursday night during an after -party. A friend of Duer’s who had stayed the night at Duer’s house called 911 when he found Duer unresponsive in the
Fire chief recommends Governor honors Masterson, true heroes maintenance, detectors Mendenhall
RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
As the temperature drops outside and families stoke up the fur naces, the Roswell Fire Department wants residents to be aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide. “We had a call on a carbon monoxide incident just this morning,” said Deputy Chief Devin Graham on Monday, “and we had one late last week.” As the nights get colder and gas heaters and fireplaces are lit, the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning rears its head. “Carbon monoxide is a byproduct of an incomplete combustion,” Graham says, “and it can happen from any gas appliance or from fireplaces when the flue is not drawing properly.” Carbon monoxide is
odorless, tasteless, and colorless gas that is known as the “silent killer.” Carbon monoxide is produced by common household appliances, according to the website emmedicinehealth.com. When not properly ventilated, carbon monoxide emitted by these appliances can build up. Early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning such as headaches, nausea, and fatigue, are often mistaken for the flu because the deadly gas goes undetected in a home. Because carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless, and otherwise undetectable to the human senses, people may not know that they are being exposed. Prolonged exposure can lead to brain damage and even death. See DETECTORS, Page A3
HIGH 57 LOW 30
TODAY’S FORECAST
See MENDENHALL, Page A3
STAFF REPORT
A Berrendo Middle School teacher credited with disarming a 12-yearold gunman in a school shooting in January was among four New Mexicans honored Monday by Gov. Susana Martinez as New Mexico True Heroes. Eighth-grade social studies teacher John Masterson was recognized for his bravery in stopping the Jan. 14 school shooting. Authorities said Mason Campbell, armed with a sawed-off shotgun, opened fire at the middle school, seriously wounding two students before Masterson persuaded the middle schooler to put down the shotgun. “The quality we seek in a hero, first and foremost, See MASTERSON, Page A3
Photo courtesy of Governor’s Office
Gov. Susana Martinez, center, honored four New Mexico True Heroes on Monday in Albuquerque. They are, from left, Chuck Howe of Angel Fire, Jim Stogsdill of Albuquerque, John Masterson of Roswell and Jan DeMaggio of Albuquerque.
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6
• David Bradley Duer • David P. Estrella • Leila G. Shelley
• Rosemary H. Gallegos
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
FINANCIAL ..............B4
LOTTERIES .............A2
COMICS .................B5
HOROSCOPES .........A6
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8