|
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.
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 1999 by Pecos Enterprise
|