Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 125, No. 237 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
October 4, 2017
Wednesday
www.rdrnews.com
Public lands amendment met with approval o P&Z director says change to county rule is about health and safety By Lisa Dunlap Roswell Daily Record
Lisa Dunlap Photo
A zoning amendment that would make publicly owned lands subject to the same reviews and approvals as privately owned land receives the recommendation of members of the Chaves County Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday night. From left are Robbie White, Chair Dale Rogers and Melodi Salas. The matter must be decided by a vote of the Chaves County Board of Commissioners.
With no opposition voiced at a public hearing, Chaves County planning and zoning officials have recommended changing county rules so that public lands will no longer be exempt from zoning ordinances. “We aren’t regulating to try to stop development, but the expectation is to see that whatever is done is done in a way that is safe and reasonable,” said Chaves County Planning and Zoning Director Marlin Johnson after the Tuesday evening meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Without questions or discussion, the three members of the commission present at the meeting — Robbie White, Chair Dale Rogers and Melodi Salas — voted to adopt the staff’s recommendation for an amendment to Zoning Ordinance No. 7 that now exempts lands owned by public agencies such as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the New Mexico State Land Office and the city of Roswell. To become official, the change still must be approved by the Chaves County Board of Commissioners at an upcoming meeting. Johnson also has indicated that the county
intends to ask the Roswell-Chaves County Extraterritorial Zoning Commission to amend its ordinances in a similar manner. “I would like to add from my experience where we did regulate these (public lands) in Wyoming, we didn’t regulate these so much as a yes or no on the proposals,” Johnson said to commission members prior to their vote. “It was more of, what is the impact on residential uses, like where are you going to relocate your road? ... And if there are facilities where there might be emergency responses, how would that
By Trevier Gonzalez Roswell Daily Record
cers who exchanged gunfire with Diaz. From the Roswell Police Department, 3-year veteran Randy Rodriguez, 4-year veteran Joel Smoyer, 2-month veteran Adrian Jimenez and 15-year veteran Sgt. Jeff Prince returned fire. One-and-a-half-year veteran deputy Olivia Padilla and 10-year veteran Travis Hardy from the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office, along with 13-year veteran Sgt. James Mason, also returned fire at after he fled the original area in his vehicle. “(Diaz led) officers on a pursuit to a residence on Old Dexter Highway, where he remained in his vehicle and refused to comply with orders to peacefully surrender,” Armijo said. “After a standoff lasting nearly three hours, Mr. Diaz then fled a second time, driving through properties as he fled.” Armijo said as Diaz fled, deputy Padilla fired one round at Diaz due to officers and civilians being in the direct path of the flee-
NMSP recovers paraphernalia, cash from man after shooting The New Mexico State Police have recovered evidence from the man who allegedly instigated a shootout with police weeks ago to include .223 rifle casings, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, ammunition and “several thousands of dollars of U.S. currency.” State police investigators said 30-year-old Jose Diaz, of Roswell, was taken into custody on federal charges Friday, with charges from the state still pending. Diaz was struck once in the foot and again in the arm by police gunfire, and was later treated and released from a local hospital. What originally began as a welfare check on Diaz, who was asleep at the wheel near the intersection of South Atkinson Avenue and East Poe Street on the morning of Sept. 24, escalated to an exchange of bullets and multiple chases. A news release by NMSP public information officer Lt. Elizabeth Armijo on Tuesday listed the names of seven local police offi-
Fair rides give kids a green light to have fun
Trevier Gonzalez Photos
Above: A little girl points something out for a friend right before their ride begins to take off at Eastern New Mexico State Fair Tuesday evening. Right: A child grips onto the antennae of a kids’ ride as another looks to her feet, enduring the ride.
See LANDS, Page A3
See SHOOTING, Page A2
Pickup fire contained by Roswell Fire Department
Trevier Gonzalez Photos
A vehicular fire near Spring River RV Park was extinguished by the Roswell Fire Department Tuesday afternoon with no reported injuries. RFD firefighter Fernando Garcia, second photo to the right,
said it could have been a lot worse. Also in the picture is the vehicle’s owner. Around 3:20 p.m., the RFD was dispatched to the corner of North Atkinson Avenue and East College Boulevard in reference to a pickup truck on fire. The northbound lanes on Atkinson were temporarily closed by the Roswell Police
Today’s Forecast
Today’s Obituaries Page A6
HIGH 77 LOW 66
• Lawrence Blanscet • Dennys Cooney • Alicia Salcido
Department as firefighters, in the first photo, extinguished flames emitting from a truck. The owner of the vehicle said he was driving until another driver flagged him down and urged him to get out of his vehicle. The owner said after he got out, he was shocked with what he saw. Index Classifieds...........B6 Comics..................B5 Entertainment. ....A8 Financial..............B3
General...............A2 Horoscopes.........B5 Lotteries. ............A2 Nation..................A6
Opinion.................A4 Sports. ................B1 Weather...............A8