Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 124, No. 101 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
April 28, 2015
Tuesday
www.rdrnews.com
Central Control employee arrested for drug trafficking
By Jared Tucker Record Multimedia Reporter
A City of Roswell central control employee is on administrative leave after being arrested on federal drug trafficking charges stemming from a two-state, multi-agency investigation. According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, 46-year-old Arthur Luna was arrested Monday around 8:30 a.m. and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, conspiracy and aiding and abetting. Luna is among 12 defendants named in three federal indictments that list more than 42 different counts which include drug trafficking, money laundering and conspiracy. The initial investigation began in October
2014 against 31-year-old Rodolfo Lopez of El Paso, Texas, who police say was the leader of a drug transportation ring that allegedly brought marijuana from Southwest Texas to Lubbock, Texas, and Chaves County, NM. That investigation led police to two other operations which allegedly transported marijuana from El Paso through Chaves and Eddy Counties in New Mexico, and up to Lubbock. “Today’s arrests in El Paso and Lubbock, Texas, as well as Roswell, New Mexico are another excellent example of the ongoing collaboration between Drug Enforcement Administration and our federal, state and local law enforcement partners,” said Will R. Glaspy, Special Agent in Charge of the El Paso Division of DEA. According to the release,
Center with no bond.
From the DOJ news release:
Luna law enforcement officers seized approximately 75 pounds of marijuana and $22,166 in cash during the course of the original investigation. Monday’s operation yielded 40 pounds of marijuana, around $70,000 in cash, 14 vehicles including a motorcycle and an all terrain vehicle and 16 guns, one of which was reported stolen. Luna is being held at the Chaves County Detention
“Ten of the alleged members of the marijuana importation and distribution ring are charged in a 42-count indictment that alleges drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracies and a series of drug and money laundering substantive offenses. Count 1 of the indictment alleges that from November 2014 through April 2015, all 10 defendants participated in a marijuana trafficking conspiracy pursuant to which they distributed in excess of 100 kilograms of marijuana in Chaves County and other places. Count 2 charges six defendants with participating in a conspiracy to launder the proceeds of their alleged marijuana trafficking activities. Counts 3 and 4 of the indictment
Her memory lives
allege that certain defendants maintained premises in Roswell for the purpose of storing marijuana. Three defendants are charged with using a communications facility, telephones, to further the commission of drug trafficking crimes. Twenty-six counts charge certain defendants with drug trafficking crimes and two counts charge certain defendants with money laundering. Five defendants, including two charged in the ten-defendant indictment, are charged in a separate indictment with participating in a separate marijuana trafficking conspiracy. The indictment alleges that between March 1, 2015 and March 24, 2015, the four defendants conspired to commit a marijuana trafficking crime in Chaves County. It also charges the
Jacob Gurrola, a fifth-grade student in Cynthia Gustamantes’ class at Monterrey Elementary School, read a brief memorial tribute he wrote about his former teacher, Anita Ruth Guthrie, who passed away April 18 after losing her battle with cancer. WalMart donated a cherry tree which was planted in the school courtyardand a bench with a memorial plaque.
Longtime newspaperman McDonald named as new RDR ad director, GM
By Timothy P. Howsare Record Editor The Roswell Daily Record has hired Tom McDonald as advertising director and general manager. McDonald will replace Vonnie Fischer, who has been advertising director for the past four years. Along with overseeing the advertising department, McDonald will work directly under Publisher Charles Fischer in the overall management of the newspaper. His first day will be Thursday. McDonald got his start in journalism in his home state of Arkansas as a sports stringer at the now-defunct Arkansas Gazette. When the Gazette closed, McDonald worked as a reporter at the Maumelle Monitor, a weekly publication on the outskirts of Little Rock, Arkansas. His next career stop was at the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway, Arkansas, where he moved up from reporter to city editor over a six year period. McDonald then moved on to the Pine Bluff Commercial in southern Arkansas to serve as editor before
See LUNA, Page A2
Roswell launching summer-long cleanup
By Jeff Tucker Record Staff Writer
Submitted Photo
four defendants with possessing marijuana in Eddy County on March 23, 2015, with the intention of distributing it to others. A third indictment charges three defendants, including one charged in the 10-defendant indictment, with conspiracy to commit a marijuana trafficking crime in Eddy County between Feb. 12 and 26. Two of the defendants are also charged with possession of marijuana in Eddy County on Feb. 26 with the intention of distributing it to others. Count 1 of the Indictment charges all 10 defendants with conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute. The statutory maximum penalty for a conviction on this count is imprisonment for
The Chaves County Republican Women have teamed up with Roswell’s police and code enforcement departments and other groups for a city-wide cleanup beginning in May. The summer community investment project, known as Roswell Reaches Out, will take place May 1 through Aug. 31, targeting different sections of the city every two weeks. “We’re going to concentrate in about 15 areas of Roswell to try and clean up the city,” said Roswell Police Department Commander Fil Gonzales. “We’ll be parking our command post in each of these designated areas.” Gonzales said the Roswell Fire Department and the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office will also participate, with their own com-
mand posts. Other groups involved include the Roswell Independent School District and the New Mexico Youth ChalleNGe Academy. Gonzales said RPD’s command post will sometimes serve lunches to neighborhood children in hopes of building rapport with youngsters and neighborhood residents. “We’re trying to go back to the community policing concept where the citizens, the children, business owners of the area get to know their law enforcement officers, the deputies, their fire department and code enforcement and other people that are willing to help out,” Gonzales said. Roswell Code Enforcement Department Director Bill Bartlett said the goal is to help residents in need. He said code enforcement See CLEANUP, Page A3
4th graders invade RDR
Timothy P. Howsare Photo
Charles Fischer, right, publisher of the Roswell Daily Record, announced Tuesday that Tom McDonald, center, will replace Vonnie Fischer, left, as advertising director. McDonald will serve as the paper’s general manager. leaving the state to manage the Springfield Sun in central Kentucky. In 2004, McDonald was named editor and publisher of the Las Vegas Optic in northern New Mexico, where he served for eight years. In 2013, McDonald started his own business, Gazzette Media Services LLC, and created the New Mexico Community News Exchange, a news-sharing service involving 15 news-
papers around the state including the Roswell Daily Record. McDonald also writes a statewide column called “Dispatch New Mexico” that runs on Saturdays in the Daily Record. Most recently, McDonald managed the circulation department at The Taos News. “I’m excited to be embarking on a whole See MCDONALD, Page A3
Today’s Forecast
HIGH 67 LOW 37
Christina Stock Photo
We don’t know if a Guinness World Record was set for the most students touring the Daily Record at the same time, but it was definitely one of the biggest groups we’ve seen inside the building in a long time. Last week, 90 fourth graders from Monterrey Elementary School toured the newspaper offices. Many of the students were fascinated by the “paper room,” where huge rolls of newsprint paper are stacked almost to the ceiling. Their teachers are Diana Fall, Christy Hurst, Julie Chandler and Chelsey Eoff.
Index
Today’s Obituaries Page A6
• Gail Rutledge
• Susie Adams
•Guadalupe “Lupe” Hernandez
• Maxine M. Machen
Classifieds...........B6 Comics..................B5 Entertainment. ....B8 Financial..............B4
General...............A2
Opinion.................A4
Horoscopes.........A8
Sports. ................B1
Lotteries. ............A2
Weather...............A8