Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 124, No. 86 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
April 10, 2015
Friday
www.rdrnews.com
Former cop says arrest is vindication By Jeff Tucker Record Staff Writer
A former Chaves County sheriff’s deputy charged with intimidating a man in a wheelchair says the disabled man’s recent arrest on heroin charges vindicates his encounter with the disabled man. The encounter led to the sheriff deputy’s resignation and being charged with two criminal offenses. The disabled man, Cody Manz, 29, was arrested on a warrant Wednesday charging him with fourth-degree felony possession of controlled substances-heroin and misdemeanor use or possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to a criminal complaint filed by a Roswell police officer assigned to the Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force, Manz was found with heroin at a Roswell motel on Dec. 11. Police said they responded to a domestic disturbance at the Main Street motel and found numerous syringes, foil and a metal spoon in plain view. Police said a field test on March 30 of a brown tarlike substance found in the foil packaging tested positive for opiates. “Affiant has had prior dealings with Mr. Manz and knows him to use heroin,” the drug task force officer stated in the criminal complaint charging Manz.
“Affiant also knows that Mr. Manz ingests the drug intravenously.” An arrest warrant for Manz was issued on Wednesday and Manz was incarcerated at the Chaves County Detention Center on $5,000 bond. Former Chaves County Sheriff’s Deputy Allan Covarrubias, 32, was charged in connection to an unrelated encounter Covarrubias had with Manz on Feb. 24. Covarrubias, a sheriff’s deputy at the time, was charged with petty misdemeanor assault and third-degree felony bribery or intimidation of a witness after he confronted Manz at a Roswell store about her-
Manz
Covarrubias
oin Covarrubias reportedly found at Mesa Verde Apartments in Roswell. A witness told authorities a large man with tattoos, later identified as Covarrubias, approached Manz at the store and started yelling at Manz. The witness
said Manz tried to leave the scene several times, but Covarrubias continued to follow Manz and yell at him, according to the criminal complaint charging Covarrubias. Covarrubias said he was acting as the code enforce-
ment officer for Mesa Verde Apartments, where he lives, when he confronted Manz several days later about the heroin he found at the apartment complex. Manz lives near Mesa Verde Apartments, Covarrubias said. “On their behalf, I was just advising criminal trespass because of the heroin,” Covarrubias told the Daily Record Thursday. Covarrubias said a witness placed Manz in the area where the heroin was found. Covarrubias said he contacted the Roswell Police Department and reported the heroin he See ARREST, Page A3
2016 state budget boosts education, child welfare By Vik Jolly Associated Press
AP Photo
Gov. Susana Martinez smiles after signing the 2016 state budget bill at IntelliCyt Thursday in Albuquerque. Standing behind her, from left, is Rep. Jimmie Hall, R-Albuquerque, Rep. Dennis Roch, R-Logan, and Tom Clifford, Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration.
Clovis hires former Roswell city manager By Kevin Wilson Clovis News Journal A Clovis City Commission process of nearly four months was finished Thursday in a matter of four minutes, resulting in the selection of Larry Fry as Clovis’ new city manager. Fry, 55, comes to Clovis following four years as city manager in Roswell. He replaces Joe Thomas, who worked for the city for 43 years and was city manager since December 2004. Thomas’ last day is Friday; Fry will assume duties Monday. “I think the background, education and experience were very impressive,” Clovis Mayor David Lansford said. “He’s got a good understanding of New Mexico politics. He’s from eastern New Mexico, and he understands the culture on this side of the state.” A 1977 graduate of Carlsbad High School, Fry takes on a city of approximately 39,000 residents, with about 450 city employees and a budget of $54 million. “Having been in munic-
ipal government for 20 years, I believe it’s a wonderful way to give back to communities,” Fry said. “I’ve been in Roswell for over 20 years. (Clovis presented a) new environment, situation, people, the opportunity to get involved again and contribute any way I can.” Fry holds a bachelor’s degree from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego completed in 1977, when the school was known as Point Loma College, and a master’s degree from Eastern New Mexico University, completed in 1988. He first came to Roswell in 1981 for a position at Valley Federal Savings Bank, where he worked for 10 years. Following a short stint at Western Commerce Bank in Carlsbad, he taught algebra for two years at ENMU-Roswell before joining the city in August 1994. He first joined the city as finance director, before promotions to assistant city manager in 2007 and See MANAGER, Page A2
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Gov. Susana Martinez signed a $6.2 billion budget Thursday boosting spending for education, child welfare, public safety and economic development. “This is a responsible budget that invests heavily in creating jobs and educating our children,” Martinez said. The signing was held at IntelliCyt, a 42-employee Albuquerque company which produces tools to facilitate the study of cells. Over the past four years, Martinez said she has focused on restoring the state’s fiscal footing. New Mexico can no longer rely on “Washington politicians to fuel our economy” but should instead look to local businesses
to create jobs and help strengthen the state’s economy, she said. The U.S. Commerce Department announced Thursday that New Mexico leads the nation in export-related job growth, adding that the news comes on the heels of data showing the state has nearly doubled its exports to Mexico in one year. Martinez reiterated what she has said in recent public appearances: The state added 16,000 jobs in the past year, the strongest growth since 2006. With the 2016 fiscal year budget, Martinez said she wants to continue the state’s economic growth. The budget pumps more than $7.5 milSee BUDGET, Page A3
Pizza chain will be moving to town By Jeff Jackson Record City Editor Pizza experts in Roswell soon will get to decide if Papa John’s really does have better ingredients and better pizza. A building at 625 N. Main St. that not long ago housed the Italian-food restaurant Carmine’s is being converted into a Papa John’s pizzeria, whose advertising slogan boasts “better ingredients, better pizza.” Co-owners Tom Campbell and John Oberdorf expect to be open by midJune but are hoping for June 1. Most of the pizzas will be take-out or delivery, Campbell said, but the 2,600-square-foot building will have tables to accommodate customers who want to eat inside. Carmine’s had enough space for 54 diners, Campbell said. “It’s bigger than what we need, but we looked at it and decided it wouldn’t make sense to divide it in half or into two-thirds,” Campbell said. “It’s an
ideal location. The location was too good to pass up.” As a chain, 99 percent of Papa John’s locations are the take-out or call-in variety, Campbell said. He said he and Oberdorf, who also runs a Papa John’s in Hobbs, had a full-service Papa John’s in Kansas City, Missouri. The Papa John’s in Roswell will not have servers waiting on tables; customers will order their pizzas at a counter. Nor will the restaurant offer alcoholic beverages, he said. The business partners have signed a five-year lease on the building and have ordered pizza-making equipment. The narrow building across Main Street that had been a Sonic Drive-In also was See PIZZA, Page A3 Jeff Jackson Photo
The franchise owners of a Papa John’s pizza restaurant in Roswell hope to open by June 1 at 625 N. Main St. in the building formerly occupied by Carmine’s Italian Eatery.
Today’s Forecast
Today’s Obituaries Page B4
HIGH 76 LOW 50
• Jack Richard Dexter • Ruth F. Pruneau •Gene Zamora Sr.
Index Classifieds...........B6 Comics..................B5 Financial..............B3 General...............A2
Horoscopes.........A8
Opinion.................A4
Lotteries. ............A2
Sports. ................B1
Nation..................B4
Weather...............A8