Man accused of 2013 murder found not guilty

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Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

Vol. 125, No. 45 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday

February 22, 2018

Thursday

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Man accused of 2013 murder found not guilty o Family, prosecutors struck with disappointment

By Trevier Gonzalez Roswell Daily Record After less than an hour and a half of deliberation, the 12-person jury reached a verdict for the State of New Mexico v. Steve Guardado trial Wednesday evening. Gasps erupted from the Vargas family in the District Courtroom in Roswell as 5th District Judge Freddie J. Romero read that Guardado was found not guilty of first-degree murder. “And y’all call this justice? Justice for all?” A family member of Stoarmy Joel Vargas questioned as she walked out of the courtroom.

“He’s going to kill again.” Gary Mitchell, Guardado’s defense attorney, simply said the jury “did the right thing.” “I’m pleased. Very, very pleased,” Mitchell told the Daily Record. “And I thank them.” Guardado, who had been accused of murdering Vargas on Oct. 25, 2013, allegedly in retaliation after losing his friend, Victor Oaxaca just two days earlier through the means of a separate homicide, was acquitted of the felony charge and was set to be released. Deputy district attorneys Michael Thomas and Kristen Cartwright declined to

comment.

Final testimonies

Earlier Wednesday morning and before the jury arrived at a verdict, the Roswell Police Department’s Albert Aldana sat at the stand, prepared for additional questions related to his investigation of the homicide of 22-year-old Vargas. However, neither the defense or prosecution had any further questions for Aldana. On Tuesday, Aldana told the court before he had arrived at the scene in the 600 block of East Cherry Oct. 25, 2013, it was begin-

ning to rain. Aldana stated the firearm, which had been described to him as a silver handgun, was never recovered from the incident. Previously in court, Roswell police officer Christopher King stated he had seen a black Chrysler with a sticker on its back on three separate occasions within a short period of time while he was blocking traffic at the corner of North Orchard Avenue and East Cherry Street the night Vargas was shot. King said he tried to provide dispatch with the vehiSee VERDICT, Page A2

Trevier Gonzalez Photo

Family members of Stoarmy Joel Vargas, who was murdered in 2013, stand stunned in disappointment after District Judge Freddie J. Romero read the jury’s verdict for the State of New Mexico v. Steve Guardado trial Wednesday evening.

MainStreet Roswell gets its national accreditation back By Lisa Dunlap Roswell Daily Record

Lisa Dunlap Photo

National accreditation from Main Street America means the local group will be able to receive more state assistance and funding, says Kathy Lay, executive director of MainStreet Roswell.

MainStreet Roswell will be in line for more expertise and funding from the state now that it has received accreditation from the national Main Street organization. “They have had some bounces up and down, and, in the last cou ple of years, they have been able to turn that around,“ said Rich Williams, executive director of New Mexico Main Street, part of the New Mexico Economic Development Department. “That’s a really big achievement for them.” He described national accreditation as an “important tool” for the local organization. It entitles them to apply for more requests for management, marketing, urban design and architectural experts, he said, and it means that their requests for state

funds for capital projects will be given a higher priority by Main Street New Mexico leaders than funding asks coming from non-accredited Main Street groups in the state. Formed in 1991, MainStreet Roswell last had accreditation in 2013. The sudden loss of an executive director who had been with the group for years, turnover of board members and other issues meant that the group had not qualified for accreditation thereafter, although it remained an affiliated partner with the national organization. The national Main Street organization, a program of a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, determines national accreditation. But state Main Street leaders are See ROSWELL, Page A2

Public voices ideas on future of Yucca Center property

By Alison Penn Roswell Daily Record

About 30 community members at a public forum Tuesday evening at the Central Fire Station suggested everything from athletic fields to community gardens to affordable housing as possible uses for the property now occupied by the historic Yucca Recreation Center, which is to be demolished. The city organized the public forum to discuss future uses for the 2.4-acre property at 500 S. Richardson Ave. after the 106-yearold building is torn down. Planning Manager Bill Morris and City Manager Joe Neeb primarily led the meeting. “The city doesn’t get a

good reputation for reaching out and talking with everybody,” Neeb said. “That’s why we are here is really to start those conversations and have those conversations as early and as often as I can get you guys out.”

Rejected bid discussed

Randall Kennedy and other people in attendance asked why the bid from Complete Rehabilitation Services Inc. was not accepted and why the city wanted to pay to demolish the center instead. “One thing people don’t realize, they haven’t been inside the building recently,” City Engineer Louis Najar said. “If you go in there, all the fond memories that you have — your

heart is going to break. As an engineer or developer, it is cheaper to tear down and build anew. You’ve got to go in there. It’s ugly — and ugly is being nice.” Neeb said the city wanted a plan on how the building would be brought back up to code and benefit the community, which is part of the reason the bid was denied.

Community members present ideas

Briana Calciano, 14, an eighth-grader at Sidney Gutierrez Middle School, said her teacher told her about the forum, which influenced her decision to attend. See YUCCA, Page A3

Alison Penn Photo

Virginia Garcia, in the orange shirt, shares her ideas Tuesday evening about what could be done with city property after the Yucca Center is demolished. The city held a public forum to hear from community members. Planning Manager Bill Morris stands in front of the group, which includes Briana Calciano, in front on left, a student at Sydney Gutierrez Middle School who talked about creating a community garden.

New Mexico Legislature gets flurry of harassment complaints

By Morgan Lee Associated Press

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Legislature received five reports about possible sexual misconduct, harassment and discrimination during the recently concluded session, according to the legislative branch’s legal counsel. The flurry of complaints and reports from observers about possible misconduct by lawmak-

ers and legislative staff stands in sharp contrast to the prior decade in which just one formal complaint of sexual misconduct was filed against a legislator with no finding of probable cause or disciplinary action. Several informal reports of misconduct emerged late last year, as statehouses nationwide confronted allegations of sexual misconduct. In response to a public records

request, the Legislative Council Service reported House lawmakers were the focus of one complaint of discrimination and one report of possible sexual harassment during the recent session. Two reports of possible sexual harassment were made by legislative staff against staff colleagues. The incidents were resolved and no probable cause was found to warrant formal charges, said Raul Burciaga, the lead attorney

Today’s Forecast

Today’s Obituaries Page A6

HIGH 61 LOW 28

• Jay Steven Arthur • Pamela Jo Burrow

and

for the Legislature. Few details of the episodes were available because the Legislature does not disclose complaints where there is no finding of probable cause. An additional complaint was related to the use of the legislative process by an outside group, and determined to not be a matter of harassment. New Mexico lawmakers underwent harassment training and

See COMPLAINT, Page A3 Index

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• Amy Marriott Johns • Michael Ponce

overhauled the Legislature’s anti-harassment policy in January ahead of the 30-day session. The new policy includes outside counsel in investigations of complaints and determinations about possible charges. Prior to this year, female lobbyists and elected officials said widespread sexual harass-

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