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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Tuesday, January 7, 2003
Three sentenced by Parks over charges
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., Jan. 7, 2003 -- Three people were sentenced on separate charges
during the first hearings of the new year on Friday in 143
rd District Court at the Reeves County Courthouse.
A Pecos woman was sentenced to six years in prison on Jan. 3. Dorothy
Jean Smith, 48, was placed on probation on Aug. 20, 2001, after pleading
guilty to delivering cocaine to an undercover officer. On Jan. 3, Smith pled
true to violating a term of her probation by failing to avoid injurious and
vicious habits including the use of narcotics.
Following the recommendation of District Attorney Randy Reynolds, Judge
Bob Parks, pronounced sentence on Smith and assessed her punishment of six
years in state prison.
In other business, Rick Ornelas Ortiz, 20, pled guilty to delivery of
cocaine and received six years of probation.
Rosa Baeza Valenzuela, 36, pled guilty to a theft charge and received
five years probation and was ordered to repay the victim the money she had
taken. Judge Parks ordered the probation terms, following recommendations
by Reynolds.
During a previous court session, on Friday, Dec. 20, three people serving
probation were sentenced to serve jail time after Judge Parks found that
they had violated the terms of their probations.
Following the recommendation of Reynolds, Joel Bravo Rubio, of Pecos,
was sentenced to serve one year in a State Jail for burglary of a building.
Santos Chaves Lopez, of Pecos, was sentenced to serve one year and three
months in State Jail for possession of a controlled substance. Guadalupe
Venegas, 32, was sentenced to serve six years in the state penitentiary for
having possessed, with intent to deliver, cocaine.
Year In Review -- June 2002
Anchor sale, Monahans firebombing among June events
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the sixth in a series of stories on events
in Pecos during 2002. Today's story covers the month of June.
***
PECOS, Monday, June 3, 2002 — Monahans Police and other area law
enforcement agencies are hunting for the person who broke a window
at the police station and threw in a device that caused heavy fire
and smoke damage to the police department's downtown office.
According to reports from the Monahans News, which is located across from
the police station at Second and Alice Streets, the fire started at approximately
3:30 a.m., this morning, after an unknown person or persons broke a window
in the front of the building.
Officials said Monday they suspected a `Molotov cocktail' _ a gasoline-filled
bottle with a flaming rag _ was thrown through a window on the west side
of the police station about 3:30 a.m. Monday, where the department's mailroom
and other equipment was located.
PECOS, Wed., June 5, 2002 — The Anchor Foods onion processing plant
in Pecos, which ended production last Friday after being purchased
last year by McCain Foods, has been sold to a new company owned by
the Chairman of Security State Bank, the two groups announced today.
McCain Foods USA and TransPecos Foods of Texas jointly announced today
that they have signed an agreement providing for the sale of McCain's onion
ring plant and certain equipment to TransPecos Foods. The closing of the
sale is subject to certain conditions including receipt of local, state and
federal governmental approvals, which are anticipated within the next few
weeks.
Kennedy said that they don't know how many employees will be working at
the facility yet.
PECOS, Thurs., June 6, 2002 — A federal jury found Sol Thomas, of
Sierra Blanca, innocent on all counts yesterday at the Lucius D. Bunton
Federal Courthouse.
The jury of 12 turned in a verdict of not guilty after approximately three
hours of deliberation after the three-day trial wrapped up with the defense
and prosecuting attorneys' closing arguments.
The 61-year-old Thomas was indicted for possession of more than 100 but
less than 1000 kilograms of marijuana, and one count of carrying a firearm
during a drug trafficking crime, specifically a Smith a Wesson revolver chambered
for .357 magnum cartridges.
MONAHANS, June 7, 2002 - Travis James Harris, a 22-year-old man who had
lived in Monahans about two months, was arraigned Thursday on a felony arson
charge for allegedly starting a fire at the Monahans Police Department earlier
this week.
Harris was arrested on Monday in Odessa after someone threw a "Molotov
cocktail" through a window at the Monahans Police Station about 3:30 Monday
morning. Harris was transferred to Ward County on Tuesday.
Although no one was injured in the fire the building and much of the police
department's equipment was damaged.
Monahans Police Chief Charles Sebastian has estimated damages at a minimum
of $350,000 but said that the estimate was probably on the low side.
PECOS, Tuesday, June 11, 2002 — A former Pecos Enterprise Editor
and Publisher died of a heart attack Sunday at his home.
Ken Dulaney, who most recently was publisher of the Big Spring Herald,
died of a heart attack Sunday at his home. He was 60.
Dulaney was editor and publisher of the Pecos Enterprise from 1977 through
1980.
PECOS, Wed., June 12, 2002 — The Reeves County Grand Jury cleared
Trans Pecos Drug Task Force Sgt. Mike Henderson of any wrong doing
for his conduct during the May 16 gunfight on a Greyhound bus. Fellow
task force officer Sgt. Jaime Rodriguez and suspect Richard Colunga
II were both killed during the fight and one passenger on the bus was
injured.
According to a press release from District Attorney Randy Reynolds' office
the two officers were conducting a routine bus drug interdiction operation
at the Greyhound Bus Terminal in Pecos.
Colunga died as a result of his wounds from the shots fired by Henderson.
Rodriguez died during surgery at Covenant Hospital in Lubbock.
PECOS, Thurs., June 13, 2002 — The Town of Pecos City Council met
with Duncan Disposal representatives during a special lunchtime workshop
yesterday at City Hall.
Duncan Disposal General Manager Jack Burns requested that the Council
consider giving their company a rate increase..Burns said that his company
is losing money each year with the transfer station located just south of
Pecos on Hwy 17.
However, Burns does understand that the city is currently trying to get
approval from the state to build a Type I and Type IV Landfill and said he's
willing to work with the city by dropping the increase from 20 percent to
3 percent until the landfill opens.
PECOS, Thurs., June 13, 2002 — A new stock contractor will be on
hand for this year's West of the Pecos Rodeo events and plans are already
underway to make this year's event a successful one.
Terry Walls Rodeo, of Stephenville, will be joining Pecos in making this
year's rodeo one to remember.
PECOS, Friday, June 14, 2002 — The Town of Pecos City Council awarded
a contract for the construction of water storage tanks in South Worsham
Water Well field during the regular meeting yesterday at City Hall.
Frank Spencer, of Spencer & Associates, informed the Council that
all the bids for the storage tanks came in over the amount they had budgeted
for however that extra money would not cause many problems in overall.
PECOS, Friday, June 14, 2002 — Renovations to the different campuses
are coming along great and on schedule, according to Pecos-Barstow-Toyah
ISD Superintendent Don Love.
At Austin Elementary School, abatement for phase I has been completed.
"Abatement for this project is on schedule," said Love.
PECOS, Friday, June 14, 2002 — Three individuals landed in jail
Thursday evening following a narcotics drug search that turned up some
illegal drugs and paraphernalia.
Officers said a substance believed to be heroin was found inside the residence,
along with paraphernalia commonly used in the packaging and injecting of
heroin.
They completed their search of the premises and arrested Jesus Gochicoa,
Ruben Hernandez and Ephriam Rodriguez.
PECOS, Friday, June 14, 2002 — After being a part of the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah
ISD coaching staff family for four years, Head Football Coach Gary
Grubbs has accepted a job with the Schleicher County ISD in Eldorado.
Eldorado, a District 2-2A school, began to search for a new athletic director
after losing theirs to Sonora ISD.
As of yesterday afternoon Coach Grubbs resigned his position as head football
coach.
PECOS, Monday, June 17, 2002 — At 5:40 a.m. Sunday, the Pecos Police
Department received a 911 call from a Union Pacific Railroad worker
informing them that there were several unconscious people inside a
boxcar on the tracks near the Shaw Road exit on I-20 west of Pecos.
Deputy Reno Lewis of Balmorhea reported that he had received a call from
dispatch in reference to the unconscious subjects.
According to Lewis' report, the subjects were first believed to be in
the seventh car from the end, a second report then stated that they were
thought to be in the seventeenth car from the end. Deputy Arturo Granado
located only four subjects in the 25th car from the end.
The subjects stated that they boarded the train in El Paso and that they
were going to get off when it stopped.
PECOS, Wed., June 19, 2002 — Children who will be attending Pecos
Head Start next school year, will do so at a new location.
The group had previously been housed at the Carver campus, located at
300 W. 12th, but they requested a new location for the following
year.
School board officials chose to close Pecos Elementary, which was home
to the district's third grade students, because of financial reasons, last
year.
Greater Opportunities of the Permian Basin officials, who oversee the
Head Start Program, were on hand for the most recent school board meeting
to make the request.
PECOS, Friday, June 21, 2002 — A preliminary hearing was held Thursday
in U.S. District Court in Pecos for a 22-year-old man who was indicted
on arson and other charges Monday for allegedly firebombing the Monahans
Police Department building earlier this month.
Prosecutors say Travis James Harris, who had lived in Monahans for about
two months, is also accused of using a fire to commit a felony, use of a
destructive device in a crime of violence and possession of an unregistered
firearm - the incendiary device used to start the fire, which heavily damaged
three rooms of the police station.
PECOS, Friday, June 21, 2002 — The staff of Reeves County Hospital
is welcoming a new doctor in town.
Dr. Oladele Olusanya is replacing Dr. James Cam on the hospital's staff
and will be opening his family practice at the beginning of July.
PECOS, Thurs., June 27, 2002 — Land that has lain dormant along
Interstate 20 in Pecos for nearly two decades is in the process of being
reshaped right now, as workers prepare the site of the old Airbase Apartments
to become two new holes of the Reeves County Golf Course.
Workers have been at the site for the past several weeks, and County Judge
Jimmy B. Galindo said a laser leveler has been smoothing out the surface
of the area adjacent to the golf course since Monday.
PECOS, Friday, June 28, 2002 — A 143rd District Court
jury in Pecos found in favor of the families of two men, who sued an
energy company and a roustabout service over the deaths of the men
in an oil tank explosion near Pyote last year, awarding the families
a $9 million settlement.
The families of Noman Pallanes and Gilberto U. Urias won the judgement
against Chi Energy, Inc., Chi Operating Inc. and Garland Pumping and Roustabout
Services Inc., following a trial that lasted nearly two weeks.
The suit was filed after Pallanes, 32 and Urias, 27, were killed when
the tank they were working on off FM 2355, 10 miles northwest of Pyote, exploded
on April 6, 2001.
PECOS, Friday, June 28, 2002 — A Pecos native who served as a junior
high school coach here in the 1980s was named the new head football
coach for the Pecos Eagles on Thursday.
School board members selected Fred Carter, who grew up in Pecos and coached
for six years at Zavala Middle School before moving to the El Paso area,
as the new head coach during a special meeting of the board at the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah
ISD Technology Center.
PECOS, Friday, June 28, 2002 — West of the Pecos Rodeo Week events
get underway tonight, with the annual Golden Girl of the Old West and Little
Miss Cantaloupe Pageants, at the Pecos High School auditorium, to be followed
by the Night in Old Pecos celebration, Saturday night downtown on Oak Street.
Balmorhea to start annual stock show
PECOS, Tues., Jan. 7, 2003 -- Balmorhea will have its annual livestock
show this Saturday in the ag shop at Balmorhea High School.
The livestock show will begin at 10 a.m. with the showing of the hogs
followed by a barbeque at noon. The showing of the lambs and goats will follow
the luncheon.
The Balmorhea Livestock Show is held each year in January, the week prior
to the Reeves-Loving Livestock Show.
Weather
PECOS, Tues., Jan. 7, 2003 -- High Monday 56. Low this morning 45. Forecast
for tonight: Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 30s. Light and variable
winds. Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 70s. Southwest winds
10 to 15 mph. Wednesday night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 40s.
Thursday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 60s. Friday: Mostly cloudy.
Lows in the lower 30s. Highs in the upper 50s.
Police Report
EDITOR'S NOTE: Information contained in the Police Report
is obtained from reports filed by the Pecos Police Department, Reeves
County Sheriff's Office, or other officers of those agencies.
The serving of warrants by an officer for outstanding fines of either
traffic citations, animal control violations or other court costs are considered
arrests and will be printed as such unless indicated that the fines were
paid. In such instances we will indicate payment and release.
***
Patricia McCollum, 45, and Sandra Ortega, 38, were arrested at 8 p.m.
on Dec. 28, in the 200 block of Mulberry street both for possession of a
controlled substance (state jail felony).
***
Francisco Coria Jr. 21, was arrested at 3:06 a.m. on Dec. 29 in the
400 block of South Oak Street for outstanding DPS warrants for passenger
without a seat belt.
***
Abel Flores, 40, was arrested at 6:50 a.m. on Dec. 28 at the Criminal
Justice Center for aggravated assault.
***
Juan Zubia, 20, was arrested at 6:23 p.m. on Dec. 27 at the Criminal
Justice Center for a warrant for probation violation out of Ector County
Sheriff's office in Odessa.
***
Jonathan Christopher Matta 20, was arrested at 2:13 p.m. on Jan. 5 in
the 800 block of South Eddy Street for drug paraphernalia (Class C).
***
Elizabeth Taylor 35, was arrested at 9:42 p.m. on Jan 4 in the 200 block
of West Third Street for public intoxication.
***
Robert Marguez Abila 43, was arrested at 2:15 p.m. on Jan. 5 in the
1100 block of South Cherry Street for assault by threat under the family
violence act and assault by contact under the family violence act as well
as interference with and emergency phone call.
***
Ruben Carrasco Jr. 21, was arrested on Jan. 2 in the 400 block of East
Second Street for making alcohol available to minors.
***
Jacob Natividad 23, and Alexander Portillo 31, were arrested at 9:31
p.m. on Jan 2 in the 700 block of Pecan Street, both for possession of drug
paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance, marijuana within
1,000 feet of a school.
***
Francisco Ortiz 24, was arrested at 1:35 a.m. on Jan, 3 at Eighth and
Plum streets for motion to revoke probation violation (driving while intoxicated
violation( out of the Ector County Sheriffs office.
***
Frank Garcia 34, Ramon Garcia 52, and Thomas Marquez 35, were arrested
at 10:34 p.m. on Jan. 1 at La Cantina. Frank Garcia was charged with public
intoxication, Ramon Garcia for warrant capias default payment of public intoxication
and Thomas Marquez for Public Intoxication.
***
Rolando Hernancez 26, and Tony Rodriguez 23, were arrested at 9:15 p.m.
on Jan 1 in the 800 block of East Ninth Street. Rolando Hernandez for driving
while intoxicated (3rd offense) and Tony Rodriguez for public
intoxication and a warrant for making alcohol available to minors.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2003 by Pecos Enterprise
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