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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Tuesday, May 6, 2003
Odessan arrested in Carlsbad
on attempted child kidnapping
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) - An Odessa man has been charged with attempted kidnapping
after being accused of trying to force a 10-year-old boy into his car.
Pedro Gonzales Armendarez, 50, was arraigned Monday on charges of attempted
kidnapping, concealing identity and assault on a police officer. Bond was
set at $50,000.
Magistrate Walter Parr ordered the case transferred to district court
and said an issue had been raised as to Armendarez's mental competency to
stand trial.
Police were sent to a feed store Saturday evening after an emergency call
from an employee who said someone had tried to abduct a child, claiming to
be the boy's father.
According to a criminal complaint, the boy told police he had left the
store on his bicycle when a stranger drove up and told him to get in the
car. The boy refused, and the man got out, grabbed him and the bicycle and
pulled him to the car, the complaint states.
The boy told police he pulled his arm away, ran back to the store and
asked adults there to call police.
According to the complaint, the man got back into his car and drove to
the store's parking lot. When an employee confronted him, the man insisted
he was the boy's father.
The employee said the man returned to his car and drove away.
Carlsbad police Capt. Robert Bird said Armendarez was picked up four
minutes after the 911 call by an officer who saw him standing beside a car
matching the description given in the incident. The officer said Armendarez
appeared to have been drinking and had to be wrestled to the ground before
he could be arrested.
Senior girls given post-graduation safety tips
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., May 6, 2003 -- Pecos High School senior girls were given a
safety lesson this morning from Pecos Police Community Officer Mike Balog
in the Pecos High School auditorium, giving the girls a presentation on
what to do to remain safe when they go out on their own after graduation.
Balog presented a 40-minute video entitled "Traveling Alone in America"
to the seniors, who will be graduating at the end of this month. "They're
going out into the business world or are going to college," he said. "This
was just to give them some crime prevention tips to help them not be a victim."
The video, along with a handout sheet, provided information on the way
to safely prepare for a trip alone, along with information on emergency
road service, car rentals, and staying safe when arriving at hotels or using
parking garages.
"Mainly what I do is point out some tips on how not to be a victim,"
Balog said. "Like not being naive when you're on the road, and not getting
into a bad situation. After the video, I also showed them some defensive
tactics right at the end.
The handout include safety tips such as not leaving your purse exposed,
letting other people know your travel itinerary before starting on a trip,
carrying sufficient ID and insurance information, checking the condition
of you vehicle's tires, lights and windshield wipers before starting on
a trip, and locking your car after you leave it.
"I went over some things most people don't know," Balog said. "For example,
there's a roadside assistance number on the back of your driver's license
(1-800-525-5555)."
He also advised the students not to use the 'burglar alarm' on their
car, if it's equipped with one, in non-emergency situations. "A lot of people
hit the burglar alarm going to a parking lot, so they can find their car,
but any bad guy out there then knows the vehicle is open and knows where
it is," Balog said. "I'm trying to get them not to do it until they get
right up to the car."
Park St. home electrical fire kept contained
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., May 6, 2003 -- Pecos volunteer firemen had to dig into part
of a house on Park Street late Tuesday night, after being called to a structure
fire that resulted in no injuries and only minimal damage to the building.
Fire trucks responded to a call at 706 S. Park St., at about 11:30 p.m.,
Monday, and found smoke coming from the attic vent of the house. But it
took a while longer before the source of the smoke could be located.
"The fire was inside the wall on the northeast wall," said Town of Pecos
City Fire Marshal Jack Brookshire.
A woman preparing to go to sleep inside the home smelled the smoke coming
from the wall, and called the fire department.
Brookshire said that the fire was located inside the wall and was an
electrical fire. Firemen used an axe to chop open the outside wall near
the electrical box, and then sprayed water inside with a fire hose.
"Damage to the wall was moderate and didn't spread," said Brookshire.
"Nobody was injured."
Brookshire said that it took 45 minutes to extinguish the fire and there
was not very much damage done to the home.
"We had another call this morning, at a residence north of Pecos, but
it was a false alarm," said Brookshire.
Firefighters keep busy throughout the year, but are busier during this
time of year, according to Brookshire. "It's been busier the last few months,
but it usually picks up at this time," he said.
Most of the calls the firefighters have responded to lately, have involved
accidents. "Luckily, none of the calls have been for major fire damage or
big fires," he said. "The major fires have slowed down a little," he said.
Brookshire said that there have not been very many grass fires this year.
"But we're still listed in a high area, as far as possibility of fire. That's
always the case during this time of year, because of the lack of rain, and
the dry conditions," he said.
Residents are cautioned not to try to burn their grass and to call in
any fire that they see in pastures or fields.
City to conduct emergency siren test on Thursday
PECOS, Tues., May 6, 2003 -- The Town of Pecos City's Office of Emergency
Management has scheduled a test of the Public siren warning system on Thursday
between the hours of 1-2 p.m.
This will only be a test, emergency management coordinator Ricky Herrera
said, and so local residents can disregard the sirens when they go off during
that hour.
For more information call 445-5418.
Weather
PECOS, Tues., May 6, 2003 -- High Monday 94. Low this morning 62. Forecast
for tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 50s. Light and variable winds.
Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Highs 95 to 100. Southwest winds increasing to
15 to 25 mph. Wednesday night: Mostly clear. Lows near 60. Thursday: Mostly
clear. Highs in the mid 90s. Friday: Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 50s.
Highs in the mid 90s.
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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