Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Franklin sexual battery charge dropped Vol. 123, No. 275 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
November 15, 2014
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Former NMMI AD says he feels vindicated BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
A sexual battery charge against the former athletic director of New Mexico Military Institute was essentially dismissed Friday in Virginia, although the husband of the complainant said Virginia authorities put little investigative effort into the case against Reginald “Reggie” W. Franklin. “We had a great result in court today when the prosecutor elected not to go forward with the prosecution against Mr. Franklin,” said Franklin’s attor ney,
Phoenix Harris of the Harris & Carmichael law firm of Alexandria, Virginia. Virginia Commonwealth Attor ney Maha-Rebekah Ramos Abejuela made a nolle prosequi motion at a brief hearing Friday before Fair fax County General District Court Judge William J. Minor Jr., which the judge accepted. Nolle prosequi is a legal ter m meaning the prosecution decided to voluntarily discontinue the criminal charge in advance of the trial. Abejuela did not return telephone messages.
The prosecution has a year to re-file the charge, explained the Fair fax County General District Court clerk’s office. In addition, the prosecution amended the charge from misdemeanor sexual battery to misdemeanor simple assault before the nolle prosequi motion was made. “What will be reflected on his record is that he had an assault charge that was dismissed, rather than a sexual battery charge that was dismissed,” Harris explained. A peace bond approved
Sunset Elementary honors veterans
by Minor prevents Franklin from contacting his accuser for a year. Harris said Franklin agreed to the peace bond. “He agreed to sign a peace bond that we would not have any contact with her, as a courtesy,” Harris said. “A peace bond cannot be imposed unless someone agrees to it.” No one testified at Friday’s hearing. Franklin, 58, the former athletic director and longtime men’s basketball coach at NMMI, said Friday See FRANKLIN, Page A3
Submitted Photo
Alumni of New Mexico Military Institute gather around a small table at a Feb. 22 alumni event in McLean, Virginia. The photo was taken by Chookeat Jarvis, the husband of Sonia Liu Jarvis, who alleged that former NMMI Athletic Director Reggie Franklin repeatedly stroked her leg under a table at the function. The photo was submitted by Franklin’s attorney, Phoenix Harris, who intended to introduce it and others as evidence at Franklin’s scheduled trial Friday to show the clear visibility of alumni at the event.
Council OKs a new Little League field City drops inspection clause of dog rescue agreement
BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
The City Council voted to allow the Lions Hondo Little League Association to add a fourth baseball field and some parking at Randy Willis Park. “The Lions Hondo Little League wants to expand and add a fourth field there,” said Parks Director Tim Williams. The association also wants to annex a block of land north of the park that belongs to the city into the park for additional parking space, and in the future the group plans on creating another park, adjacent to the existing facility. The proposed field will be a 50/70 field, Williams told the council, which is an intermediate sized field
Mary Morgan Photos stands with her
Above: Marines stand during the performance of the “Armed Forces Medley” at Sunset Elementary School Tuesday during the school’s Veterans Day assembly.
husband, Michael Trujillo, during the Sunset Elementary Veterans Day assembly Tuesday. Michael Trujillo spoke to students and othRight: Mireya Trujillo, the principal of Sunset ers about his time Elementary School, in the U.S. Army.
that uses a 50-foot pitching distance and 70-foot base. The intermediate field is in between the 40/60 field used in Little League up to age 12, and the 60/90 field that is used in high school. During the Parks & Recreation Commission meeting in October, Chairman Bob Edwards noted that the association had successfully teamed with the city in the past to replace $96,000 worth of lights at the fields. The fourth field would be placed in the vacant lot adjacent to the existing three fields, making a cloverleaf of ball fields. The vacant lot south of the ball fields, which is a piece of property that belongs to the city, is the area the associ-
Roswell woman ILEA delegates celebrate graduation gets sentence for trafficking meth
See COUNCIL, Page A3
BY DYLANNE PETROS RECORD STAFF WRITER
STAFF REPORT
A Roswell woman has been sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for traf ficking methamphetamine. Grace Roman Childers, 60, of Roswell, was sentenced on Thursday in federal court in Las Cruces to 70 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release for her methamphetamine trafficking conviction. Childers was also ordered to forfeit $7,420, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice. Childers was arrested in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 17, 2013, on a federal complaint alleging methamphetamine trafficking and firear ms charges. She was transferred to New Mexico later that month. According to the criminal complaint, officers of the Lea County Drug Task Force arrested Childers in Hobbs on state charges on
Feb. 19, 2013, after finding approximately 300 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded handgun when they executed a state search warrant on a vehicle Childers was driving.
The officers also found a digital scale with drug residue and $7,420 cash in Childers’ vehicle. The state charges against Childers were dismissed after federal charges were filed.
On March 13, Childers entered a guilty plea to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and admitted possessing approximately 300 grams of pure methamphetamine in February 2013 in Lea County. Childers also admitted that she was storing the drugs in her vehicle with the intention of distributing the drugs before law enforcement officers seized the meth, according to the news release.
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TODAY’S FORECAST
Delegates from Hong Kong and the Philippines graduated from the International Law Enforcement Academy-Roswell program Friday morning. The delegates have been in Roswell for the past four weeks and have been working together to learn and to create new ways of dealing with crime in their home countries. “You have made all of us proud with what you have achieved at ILEA-Roswell,” said Luis Diaz-Rodriguez, the U.S. Department of State representative. The reason that the delegates came to Roswell was because of the type of world that people live in today. “We all live in a troubled and complex world,” DiazRodriguez said. “Wars, famine and natural disasters seem to be daily occurrences.” During all the chaos, he said, gover nments may crumble and the people need help. “In the midst of this chaos, evildoers step in to take advantage of human weakness by supplying illegal drugs and catering
Dylanne Petros Photo
Delegates from Hong Kong and the Philippines sing two songs for ILEA-Roswell staff and community members during the graduation ceremony Friday morning. The delegates sang the songs “The Moon Represents My Heart” (a Chinese song) and “Because of You” (a Filipino song).
to all their vices,” DiazRodriguez said. “What is standing in the way of those bent on doing harm are the dedicated men and women entrusted in enforcing the law and maintaining order.”
The goal of ILEA, he said, is to provide law enforcement the tools in order to make their home countries safe.
“It has not given you
• PRECILIANO (PERCY) SANCHEZ
TODAY’S OBITUARY PAGE B4
weapons, equipment or any other material resources but we believe that it has given you something even more important than tangible — the power to make a difference,” Diaz-Rodriguez said. Margaret Kwok Wai Yu, the speaker for Hong Kong, said that she and her colleagues lear ned how to make a difference
in the past four weeks in Roswell. “We have learned … the way to do critical thinking,” she said. Similarly, the delegates from the Philippines learned how to engage in critical thinking and new things to implement in their home country. “We return to our offices
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
FINANCIAL ..............B3
LOTTERIES .............A2
COMICS .................B5
HOROSCOPES .........A8
See ILEA, Page A2
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8