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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Top Stories

Monday, September 20, 1999

Officials to critique disaster drill today

By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer

PECOS, Sept. 20, 1999 -- A critique of Saturday's simulated disaster is scheduled for 5 p.m. today in the Pecos Community Center on South Oak Street, said Reeves County Emergency Management Coordinator Armando Gil.

Fire, ambulance, police, sheriff's office personnel and Mayor Dot Stafford met in the operations center at Pecos City Hall at 4 p.m. Saturday to begin the drill, in which emergency personnel were dispatched to several "incidents."

First, a truck hauling acid collided with two vans near the Reeves County Detention Center. Ambulance personnel transported 16 "victims" to Reeves County Hospital.

In the meantime, simulated "incidents" requiring law enforcement, ambulance or fire personnel were reported in rapid-fire succession. Police Chief Clay McKinney, ambulance chief Bill Cole, fire chief Roy Pena and Sheriff Arnulfo Gomez decided how to handle each incident and dispatched the required personnel.

Cole quickly passed off "accidents" at the I-10 split and in Loving County to other agencies. Pena had fire trucks scattered all over town, putting out fires and standing by at the acid spill.

One fire in City Hall "cremated" all the department heads, said JP Amonario Ramon, because they ignored the fake fire and continued with their duties.

All participants in the exercise are expected to attend the critique session.

Thieves pick wrong pickup to drive port of entry

By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer

PECOS, Sept. 20, 1999 -- John Prewit's years of law enforcement in Pecos as a sheriff's deputy and chief of police are valuable in his work as port director for the Immigration and Naturalization Service at the Presidio Port of Entry.

Anyone crossing the International bridge from Ojinaga, Mex. to Presidio may be subject to Prewit's eagle eye, and he recognizes many of the criminal suspects he knows from Pecos.

But last week, Prewit found something a little different that aroused his suspicions. Three Pecos men crossing from Ojinaga were in a 1993 GMC Sonoma pickup that Prewit had once owned, and he knew the driver was not the current owner.

"John Prewit called me at 7:30 Wednesday morning and said he thought the vehicle was stolen," said Reeves County Sheriff Arnulfo Gomez.

Gomez sent a deputy to the home of Tomas Rey, 613 Alamo St., where he found the house unlocked and lights on, but no one home.

Rey's son said he was in the hospital, and that nobody had permission to drive his pickup.

As a result, the driver, Ricardo Lujan Cerna, 19, of 1008 E. 10th St., was charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle and burglary of a habitation, Gomez said. His bail was set at $10,000.

Two juvenile males accompanying Cerna were released.

Louisiana man found guilty of smuggling illegal aliens

By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer

PECOS, Sept. 20, 1999 -- Charles Kesse of Shreveport, La., is guilty of transporting illegal aliens, a federal court jury decided on Friday after hearing testimony that 15 Mexican citizens were found in his truck sleeper at the Sierra Blanca Border Patrol checkpoint.

The agent on duty when Kesse entered the checkpoint testified that Kesse hesitated when he asked him if he picked up his load of cellular telephones in El Paso, then said, "yeah I think so."

He said no passengers were in the vehicle, but declined to unzip the curtain to the sleeping compartment. Then Agent Lopez asked for permission to look inside the compartment and Kesse said no, his wife and children were asleep in there.

When Lopez persisted, Kesse opened the compartment, and 15 men, women and children were visible, seated on the two bunks. They all spoke only Spanish and had no documentation to be in the United States.

Jurors had little trouble finding Kesse guilty, but an earlier jury deadlocked for a time while deliberating the guilty of Jesus Sotomayor-Garcia for hauling 524.24 pounds of marijuana in his GMC Suburban.

Sotomayor, 44, of Chihuahua, Mex., was arrested April 13 at the Border Patrol checkpoint south of Marfa on U.S. Highway 67. Agents found 280 bundles of marijuana hidden in false compartments underneath the floor of the Suburban.

Parks OKs land forfeiture, denies new trial

By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer

PECOS, Sept. 20, 1999 -- District Judge Bob Parks on Friday granted a motion to forfeit a tract of land owned by Jose Ramon Juarez that narcotics officers had seized after finding a cache of marijuana in a shed.

He denied a motion for new trial made by attorney Scott Johnson for Evigael Juarez Navarette and a motion for early release of Kenneth Christopher Salas from community supervision.

Salas testified that he has a job in Big Spring and wants to be baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon).

Pete Garcia of Big Spring testified that he is a leader in the Mormon Church, and that Salas has changed since he has been attending services. The church requires that a person be "pure in thoughts, health and civil law" in order to enter into the baptismal waters and be saved, he said.

"That's just a religious step that the church has."

Johnson's motion for new trial was based on Navarette's claim that the traffic stop by Pecos Police that resulted in his arrest for cocaine possession was "purely pretext. They were not even searching for him…they had no warrant in their possession."

Navarette later pleaded guilty to federal charges of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

Johnson asked Judge Parks to reconsider his earlier decision to allow evidence gained from the traffic stop.

District Attorney Randy Reynolds argued that the stop was not on pretext. "It was on a capias issued by Judge Parks on June 4," he said. "The officer knew there was a warrant on motion to adjudicate guilt."

Lotto

AUSTIN (AP) — Results of the Lotto Texas drawing Saturday night: Winning numbers drawn: 1-14-19-22-31-40. Estimated jackpot: $7 million. Number matching six of six: None. Matching five of six: 90. Prize: $1,393. Matching four of six: 4,470. Prize: $101.

***

AUSTIN (AP) — Results of the Texas Million drawing Friday night: Winning numbers drawn: 34-36-53-99. Number matching four of four in Group One: Zero. Number matching four of four in Group Two: Zero. Number matching four of four in Group Three: Zero. Number matching three of four in any group: 371. Prize: $300.

***

AUSTIN (AP) — Results of the Cash 5 drawing Friday night: Winning numbers drawn: 5-9-16-29-37. Number matching five of five: Two. Prize per winner: $42,659. Winning tickets sold in: Dallas, Houston. Matching four of five: 272. Prize: $471.

***

AUSTIN (AP) — The winning Pick 3 numbers drawn Friday by the Texas Lottery, in order: 7-4-4 (seven, four, four)

***

AUSTIN (AP) — The winning Pick 3 numbers drawn Saturday by the Texas Lottery, in order: 0-9-4 (zero, nine, four)

Eagles football season ticket sale deadline nears


PECOS, Sept. 20, 1999 -- This is the last week for new season ticket holders to sign up for all four games of the Pecos Eagles' 1999 home football schedule.

Season tickets are available now through Friday at the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Business Office, 1302 S. Park St., weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Season tickets this year are $20 per seat for all four games.

Pecos' 1999 home opener is Friday, when they host Crane at Eagles Stadium. The other three home games are Oct. 1 against Kermit (homecoming), Oct. 15 against El Paso Mountain View and Oct. 29 against Canutillo.

Obituaries

Virginia O. Carrasco

Virginia O. Carrasco, 73, died Saturday, Sept. 18, 1999, at Reeves County Hospital.

Mass is scheduled for 2 p.m., today, at Santa Rosa Catholic Church with Father Manuel Munoz officiating. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery.

She was born April 14, 1926, in Presidio, was a homemaker and a Catholic.

Survivors include two sons, Catarino Carrasco, Jr. of Pecos and Benito Carrasco of Odessa; three daughters, Margie Gonzales of Barstow, Elfida Morales of Fort Stockton and Mary Lopez of Pecos; one brother, David Ornelas of Balmorhea; one sister, Carmen Sanchez of Balmorhea; 18 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren.

Pecos Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Candida Martinez

Services are incomplete for Candida Martinez, 87, who died today at Pecos Nursing Home.

Pecos Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Maria R. Salcido

Maria R. Salcido, 64, of Pecos, died Saturday, Sept. 18, at Medical Center Hospital in Odessa.

A rosary will be held at 7:30 p.m., today at Pecos Funeral Home Chapel.

Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21, at Santa Rosa Catholic Church with Father Ben Flores officiating. Burial will be in Santa Rosa Cemetery.

She was born May 29, 1934, in Balmorhea and was a Catholic.

Survivors include one son, Ray Flores, Jr. of Odessa; three daughters, Yolanda Dominguez and Adela Roman of Odessa and Marilyn Villaloboz of Pecos; four brothers, Manuel, Juan and Benito Salcido of Pecos, Johnny S. Ornelas of Odessa; three sisters, Louisa Dutchover of Balmorhea, Margarita Rodriguez and Connie Orona of Odessa; 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Pecos Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Weather

High Sunday 100; low last night 63. Tonight, increasing clouds with a 20 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Low around 55. Northeast wind 10-20 mph. Tuesday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain. High around 80. East wind 5-15 mph. Chance of rain less than 20 percent.



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Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
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324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net

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