Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 124, No. 143 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
June 16, 2015
Tuesday
www.rdrnews.com
Sheriff: Body found off Old Dexter Hwy is Daniel Herrera
By Jared Tucker Multimedia Journalist
The family of a missing Roswell man finally has answers about their loved one who went missing May 26. Chaves County Sheriff Britt Snyder said the body discovered off the Old Clovis Highway June 4 has been identified as 23-yearold Daniel Herrera of Roswell. Snyder said his detectives were informed Friday afternoon by the Office of the Medical Investigator. “We all knew in our hearts that that’s likely who it was,” Snyder said. “The city PD came in early on the case with the same
pretense.” Snyder said detectives had to assume the body was Herrera’s and proceed with the investigation to keep the case moving forward and work any leads they have. “It’s difficult without waiting on OMI to make that confirmation ... we can’t just sit back and wait for a week, or two weeks (for OMI) to make that confirmation,” Snyder said. “The last thing you want to do is make an identification and it not be correct.” Snyder said OMI will tell investigators what method was used to identify Herrera, but he didn’t immediately have that information.
Herrera Snyder said Herrera was killed by gunshots, and had said in previous reports investigators believe he was killed at the rural site his body was found by property owner George Reese. Snyder said the
Temperature is just a number
number of gunshots Herrera suffered will not be released in an effort to protect the investigation. “We will never say how many ... There are the number of times anybody might have been shot (and) what they might have been shot with is only known to law enforcement and the person who committed the crime,” Snyder said. Snyder declined to comment specifically on any suspects or a motive. “That’s a pretty key part of our investigation. That’s one of the things we look at ... you investigate the last few days of the individual’s life to determine who might have been involved in their
demise,” Snyder said. Herrera, also known as, “Youngster,” was a family man. He married his wife in February of this year and he claimed his step-children as his own, according to his obituary. “Being with family was his favorite pastime, laughin g , s h a r i n g m e m o r ie s or just chilling with his homies,” according to his obituary. “Daniel enjoyed cruising all over C.T.R. (Crazy Town Roswell) in his cuttie.” Herrera’s sister, Chasity “Baby Girl” Pena, passed away in September 2013 due to health complications, a friend of Pena’s said.
Herrera missed her dearly, his family said. “We never knew it would be this soon, but we are sure she had her arms opened and welcomed him home with a smile. We know now they are together, dancing, singing and laughing in a place where there is no more pain, hurt or worries,” the obituary said. A mass is scheduled for today at 10:00 a.m., at St. John’s Catholic Church. Burial will follow at South Park Cemetery. Multimedia journalist Jared Tucker can be contacted at 575-622-7710, ext. 301, or breakingnews@ rdrnews.com.
By Jared Tucker Multimedia Journalist
into the vehicle Mr. Torres punched (the victim) repeatedly in the face and upper body while Ms. Torres drove east down Byrne,” the report states. The vehicle then pulled into a driveway. “She observed Ms. Torres go into the residence and come back outside where she proceeded to hit (the victim) with a white in color studded belt,” the report states. The victim also claimed her relatives stabbed her with a ballpoint pen, but among the three pens found in the center console of the vehicle, none appeared to have been used in such a manner, according to the report. Both suspects denied stabbing the girl, and Mr. Torres claimed neighborhood kids always stab her with pens and she must have picked open a scab to one of those injuries. The reporting deputy observed a fresh puncture
wound consistent with being stabbed by a pen on the girl’s left tricep. Mr. Torres told deputies the victim, who is his niece, left the house after being told not to, and said he forced her into the vehicle after she refused to get in of at her own will. Torres said the victim began struggling with him in the vehicle, but denied hitting her. The reporting deputy observed scratch and red marks on Torres’ arms and neck. The victim was treated at a local hospital and placed into the custody of the Children, Youth and Families Department. Both suspects are incarcerated at the Chaves County Detention Center on a $10,000 cash or surety bond. Multimedia journalist Jared Tucker can be contacted at 575-622-7100, ext. 301, or mmnews@rdrnews. com.
Witness: Uncle punched handicapped girl repeatedly
New details have surfaced regarding the two people arrested for child abuse near the Roswell International Air Center on Friday. According Chaves County Sheriff Britt Snyder, 34-year-old Manuel Torres and 57-year-old Beatriz Torres were arrested for abandonment or abuse of a child, a third degree felony, and battery, a misdemeanor. The CCSO case report states several witnesses observed the pair allegedly forcing a 16-year-old mentally handicapped girl into the back seat of a gold car near the base gate Allsup’s Store and taking her to the family’s home on the 20 block of East Byrne, from which she had walked away. “(The witness) advised when Mr. Torres got back Bill Moffitt Photo
A sudden cold wave seems to have hit Roswell Sunday afternoon according to the digital thermometer at the North Main Street Walgreens. The actual temperature was in the 90s with no such relief predicted in this week’s forecast.
Law banning false ads in peril
By Jeff Tucker Record Staff Writer
Roswell leaders are mulling changes in the city’s election laws that would require more timely disclosures of campaign contributions and end the constitutionally questionable prohibition against false advertising. The Roswell City Council is scheduled to vote next month on a proposed ordinance that would repeal a provision in current municipal law that prohibits “false, fraudulent or libelous” campaign materials in newspapers, broadcasts, handbills, letters or similar written material. Current city code states: “It is unlawful for any person, organization or political committee to publish, broadcast, circulate, print or distribute any campaign advertising or communication which is false, fraudulent or libelous in any election of the city. The prohibition extends to broadcasts, newspapers, handbills, petitions, circulars, letters or similar written material.” The proposed ordinance states the section of city
code should be repealed because it is “subject to challenge under the free speech and press clauses” of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and contrary to Article 2, Section 17 of the New Mexico Constitution, which also grants freedoms of speech and the press. City Councilor Jason Perry, chairman of the city council’s Legal Committee, said the current restriction on false campaign advertising is constitutionally questionable. “We can’t run the risk of someone saying, ‘You are binding my free speech,’” Perry said Monday. “We’ve got to do things constitutionally correct and it’s just really unconstitutional for us to say that. When we find an area where the city is incorrect and it’s undue hardship on people, we’ve got to change it.” Perry said the current restriction on false campaign advertising also puts the city in the position of having to police campaign materials. “How do you enforce that?” Perry asked. “How does a city enforce when one candidate says some-
thing fraudulent against another? Is it our responsibility as a government entity to enforce that, or is that something that should be taken up to the civil court? We believe that burden should be placed legally not on the city or the taxpayers to have to fight that through court. That’s what civil court is for. “Its not a matter that you can say what you want. There are laws against defamation of character. The decision is who enforces that? Is that the job of the local government to enforce that, or would that be the individual’s job to enforce that, to take it them-self through civil court?” Perry, a member the Roswell City Council for fiveplus years, said the section of city code outlawing false political advertising has not been invoked in his tenure at City Hall. “Personally, I believe if it ever went to court, I believe it would thrown out because it’s unconstitutional,” Perry said. “We can’t tell people they can’t do that. There may have been some things said See LAW, Page A3
Today’s Forecast
HIGH 87 LOW 64
New media art at the Roswell Museum
By Mary Morgan Record Intern
This June spend some time exploring a new art experience. The Roswell Museum and Art Center is proud to have partnered up with Current, a group based in Santa Fe since 2002. Current’s mission is to “help present the work of emerging and established video and new media artists,” stated on the homepage. One of their events showcases New Media all over New Mexico. Right now you can see four of the exhibits at the Roswell Museum and Art Center. Sara Woodbury, the curator of Collections and Exhibits shared in her blog (which can be found on the RMAC website) a little about the group and their experience with the New Media art style. New Media includes digital art, computer animation, video games, and 3D printing. One piece on display is “Dorian Gray” by Margaret Noble. Noble’s work is an interesting piece and can be viewed until the 19th of July. Noble’s mixing visual and audible effects together give an aura of emotions. “I felt sad,” said Jessie Ramirez, a local artist. “I just wanted to cry. I felt like I accepted death too well.” Tony Gage is anoth-
Mary Morgan Photo
‘Dorian Gray’ by Margret Noble is a beautiful piece depicting identity. It can be seen in the Horgan Gallery at the Roswell Museum and Art Center until July 19. er local artist and voice of worlds like Facebook or Professor Brassthorn in the through texting?” Sunday night radio broad“Dorian Gray” is a series cast “Threnody.” of frames varying in size “I felt like I was trapped and have two projections in time,” he said. “Dorian Gray” is truly a shine through them. One is a clean projection of the beautiful piece of work. Usually you don’t write frames, while the other about yourself in your sto- projection is of the frames, ries. It wouldn’t be right but, is being distorted and not to share my personal and filtered. All this hapexperience when viewing pens at the same time. this piece. Other pieces include Unlike the other patrons I was very excited, like the “Waste of Space” an HD feeling you get when you video and archival prints are about to go over the and “UFO,” a giclee photofirst drop in a roller coastgraph by Eve Andree Laraer. The greatest adventure mee, located in the Spring was just down the path. Woodbury explained the River Gallery. “Painters Painting,” another HD process of “Dorian Gray.” “The ‘Dorian Gray’ is a video by Wojciech Gilewicz complex piece dealing with and “Painting by Numbers: identity. Which is more Allegro Scherzando” by real? Our physical self Gerhard are located in the that deals with interaction with people and the world Bassett Auditorium. These exhibits are truly around us, or our Visual self that only exist in such something to see. Index
Today’s Obituaries Page B4
• Joe Castelo
• Jessica Acevedo
• Rosalio Lee Marques
• Charlotte Sari • Charles Edwin Burrows • Martin Veleta Silva • Jack Austin Bryan
Classifieds...........B7 Comics..................B6 Financial..............B5
General...............A2 Horoscopes.........A8 Lotteries. ............A2 Opinion.................A4
Sports. ................B1 Weather...............A8 World..................B4