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State police officer fired
‘Day of Infamy’ 72 years later
12-year veteran caught on video shooting at minivan carrying kids The New Mexican
An officer who shot at a minivan full of children following a traffic stop near Taos has been fired, a New Mexico State Police spokesman said Friday. “I have confirmed with Chief [Pete] Kassetas that, as a result of the investigation, Officer
State police officer Elias Montoya, left, fired shots at a minivan carrying children during a traffic stop Oct. 28. He was firedFriday. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
has been with the force for 12 years, has 30 days to appeal his dismissal. The state police chief had consulted with Public Safety Secretary Gorden Eden about firing Montoya and made his final decision after a disciplinary hearing Thursday. Montoya had been sus-
[Elias] Montoya is no longer employed with the agency,” spokesman Tony Lynn said. Lynn declined to comment further “until all appeals are exhausted for the officer,” but he told The New Mexican that he’s not sure if Montoya will appeal. The Associated Press reported that Montoya, who
By Uriel J. Garcia
Please see POLICe, Page A-4
Leading up to the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, a survivor’s mementos are found. Page a-2
Back at ‘castle’ Aragon confined at Albuquerque home
Mandela’s memorial
Stay away, ex-vet told
As the world mourns, South Africans prepare for the funeral of their beloved leader.
Woman accused of animal cruelty and judge issues restraining order.
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Judge: Mental health audit to stay secret Ruling protects confidential law enforcement material By Barry Massey
The Associated Press
to live, finding employment and drug and alcohol treatment. Until he went to prison in June 2009, Aragon lived in the large, ornate South Valley “castle.” Bernalillo County Assessor’s Office records show that as of November, Aragon still was listed as the owner of the property on Camino Cinco SW. A 1998 profile in the Los Angeles Times described the house, then under construction, as a “Moorish heap of turrets and towers” and “a monstrosity of volcanic rock, adobe and timber that stands as the crowning oddity in one of this city’s poorest neighborhoods.” Aragon, who served nearly 30 years in the Legislature, continues to collect state retirement benefits of $27,311 a year as a result of his time as a legislator, with his pen-
A judge has ruled that government agencies don’t have to disclose an audit of more than a dozen mental health providers under investigation for possible overbillings and fraud, because the audit contains law-enforcement materials that are confidential. State District Judge Sarah Singleton in Santa Fe agreed with Attorney General Gary King’s office in her decision on a lawsuit filed by the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government. The lawsuit seeks to force disclosure of the audit, which the state used to freeze Medicaid payments to the behavioral health providers. Only a small part of the 300-plus-page audit has been publicly disclosed by the Human Services Department and the attorney general, who is investigating the allegations against providers of mental health and substance abuse services. The judge said portions of the audit that have been withheld are law-enforcement materials protected from disclosure under the Inspection of Public Records Act. The judge issued her decision Thursday, when the court was closed because of a winter storm. The ruling became public Friday. A judge in Las Cruces made a similar ruling last month in a separate lawsuit brought by the Las Cruces Sun-News and New Mexico In Depth.
Please see aRagON, Page A-4
Please see aUDIT, Page A-4
Manny Aragon, who was released from federal prison on Thursday, will be confined to his Albuquerque South Valley home. At top, the former state senator is shown during his arraignment on fraud charges. CASTLE PHOTO COURTESY KRQE-TV.
By Steve Terrell
The New Mexican
M
anny Aragon is home for the holidays. Federal inmates normally go to halfway houses after years behind bars. However, the former New Mexico Senate political strongman, who this week left a Florence, Colo., prison after serving time for a high-profile corruption case, is now in a home confinement program, a federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman said Friday. “He’ll be supervised by the El Paso Community Corrections office,” Chris Burke said. Aragon will be generally restricted to his home in Albuquerque’s South Valley — a house some refer to as “the castle” — until his official release date next May, Burke said. “He’s still subject
Aragon’s release plan showed he didn’t need the services offered to inmates in halfway houses to prepare them for re-entry into society. to our rules and regulations and accountability monitoring.” Aragon, 66, will only be allowed to leave his home for approved activities, such as medical appointments, religious services and family events, “if they support building family relations,” Burke said. It’s possible that Aragon will be subject to GPS monitoring, he said. Aragon, once considered to be the most powerful legislator in the state, served four and a half years in the federal minimum-security facility for his role in a scheme to defraud the state of $4.4 million
skimmed from an Albuquerque courthouse construction project. He pleaded guilty in federal court in 2008 to three felony counts of conspiracy and mail fraud and was sentenced to five and half years. The crimes took place while Aragon was majority leader in the Senate. Burke said Aragon qualified for home confinement because his release plan showed he didn’t need the services offered to inmates in halfway houses to prepare them for re-entry into society. Some of those halfway-house services include finding a place
Valles Caldera hiking plan on hold — for now Potential impact on sacred sites a concern By Staci Matlock
The New Mexican
The governing board of the Valles Caldera National Preserve has tabled its idea to let hikers trek wherever they want on the 89,000 acres of public land in the Jemez Mountains until pueblo officials can be consulted. The Valles Caldera Trust was considering the idea as part of a plan to increase public access to the preserve. Kent Salazar, chairman of the trust board, announced the decision to hold off on unfettered hiking at board meeting in Albuquerque on Thursday. “It is the most attainable of our goals — that we can open up access without excessive fees,” Salazar said by phone Friday.
Index
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Skiers enjoy Valles Caldera National Preserve. A plan to open increase public access to hikers has been placed on. PHOTO COURTESY KARL F. MOFFATT/FOR THE NEW MEXICAN
The idea of allowing hikers with a $15 permit to walk where they want on the preserve was one of several ideas the board asked staff to study earlier this year. People currently can hike on designated trails on the preserve’s east side and can go on guided hikes for a fee. But Salazar said staff came back with a report that cited
Classifieds B-7
Editor: Ray Rivera, 986-3033, rrivera@sfnewmexican.com
Comics B-12
Health a-9
multiple concerns about unlimited hiking access, including potential impacts on spiritual sites sacred to several pueblos and tribes. Pueblo officials had contacted the preserve and made it clear they had not been consulted on the plan, as required by federal law. Salazar said the trust and staff will be meeting with tribal offi-
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cials to see if they can work out a deal. He said they’ll also be consulting with tribes on other issues, such as a need for the New Mexico Gas Co. to replace gas lines that run through the preserve. The staff also had concerns about parking space and access points at the preserve. The Valles Caldera Trust Board is struggling, as all prior boards have, to meet the requirements Congress established for the preserve when the property was purchased in 2000 from ranch owners. Congress required the trust to maintain the preserve as a working ranch, protect the natural resources, expand public access and make the preserve self-sustaining by 2015. The last requirement has been a sticking point since the preserve was started as an experi-
Pasapick www.pasatiempomagazine.com
Santa Fe alternative gift Market Gift market shoppers can make donations in various price ranges to honor friends. No charge 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., DeVargas Center, 564 N. Guadalupe St. 505-983-4671
Sports B-1
Waite Thompson, 73, Nov. 7 Rodger Green, 65, Nov. 27 Neil Carter, 62, Nov. 29 Jeanette Keeran, 87, Dec. 1 Page a-10
Man of note makes difference Notah Begay III takes aim at Type 2 diabetes and childhood obesity.
Today Brisk and cold. High 31, low 19. Page a-12
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Please see HIKINg, Page A-4
Police notes a-4
Obituaries
Time Out B-11
Main office: 983-3303 Late paper: 986-3010
Two sections, 24 pages TV Book, 32 pages 164th year, No. 341 Publication No. 596-440