New Mexico Declares Security Emergency Ahead Of Inauguration - By Morgan Lee, Associated Press Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency in
New Mexico wildlife officer charged in decapitated cat case
January 14, 2021 GMT
BLOOMFIELD, N.M. (AP) A wildlife officer in New Mexico has been arrested after police say he allegedly decapitated a 9-week-old gray kitten at his home in Bloomfield, authorities said.
Jicarilla Apache Game & Fish employee Joseph Weaver, 40, was arrested on a fourth-degree felony charge of extreme cruelty to animals, The Farmington Daily Times reported.
The Bloomfield Police Department said in a statement that officers responded to a home Sunday for a welfare check when they found Weaver’s family distraught about the kitten.
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Police said Weaver’s wife told officers that he called her into the bedroom where she saw him standing with a pocketknife in his hand and the kitten floating in the bathroom sink with its head detached. Weaver was off duty at the time of the incident.
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AZTEC The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission has extended a moratorium on utilities disconnecting residential customers who have been unable to pay their utility bills.
This comes as utilities face mounting amounts of unpaid bills and tens of thousands of customers have been unable to pay their bills.
“I think we all realize this is a major decision by this commission,” said Commissioner Joseph Maestas during the Jan. 6 meeting. “Looking across the country, different states are taking different actions. But, you know, we are New Mexico and certainly we can’t allow the moratorium on disconnections to expire.”
PRC General Counsel Judith Amer said Public Service Company of New Mexico, the state’s largest electric utility, has 54,000 residential customers who have missed payments. Amer said PNM has the highest dollar amount of unpaid bills, totaling about $21.6 million in Dece
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FARMINGTON Federal law enforcement officials are warning New Mexico residents who are shopping online this holiday season to take precautions that will help them avoid becoming the victim of a variety of scams.
Officials at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center said New Mexicans lost almost $18 million in 2019 to such scams, which ranged from nondelivery of items they already had paid for to phishing schemes and identity theft.
“Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, more people than ever are expected to shop online this year,” James Langenberg, special agent in charge of the Albuquerque FBI Division, stated in a press release from the agency. “Unfortunately, that means more potential victims of holiday scams. The FBI urges consumers to be vigilant and protect themselves against criminals looking to make a quick buck.”
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FARMINGTON The future of an iconic downtown Farmington structure has come into sharper focus with the approval Dec. 15 of two measures by the San Juan County Commission.
Commissioners voted to award a construction contract for renovation of the Totah Theater at 315 W. Main St. and to transfer ownership of the property to the city of Farmington when that renovation is complete. Both votes were unanimous.
Commissioners first voted on the motion to award a construction contract. The county’s chief procurement officer, Diana Chapman, said county officials sent out 116 invitations in November seeking sealed bids from contractors and received three responses. She said the county staff recommended that commissioners accept the bid of the Jaynes Corporation of Farmington, the company that submitted the lowest bid.