Our Mayor Thinks We Can Stop Crime. Should We Get Capes? Volume 58, Number 3 Española, New Mexico 87532 Thursday, October 16, 2014 42 pages, 4 sections 50 cents Española Listed as 'Most Dangerous City' According to an online survey, the Valley ranks highest in the state for violent crime By Ardee Napolitano SUN Staff Writer Besides being the lowrider capital of the world, Española has earned a new title — most dangerous city in New Mexico, according to the most recent available crime statistics by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. North Carolina-based home security company, Home Security Shield, compiled an online list of the most dangerous cities in the state and published it Oct. 7. The compilation, which ranked the top 10 most dangerous cities, based the determination on the number of violent crimes per capita of each city, as stated by the Bureau’s 2012 statistics. Home Security Shield ranked all New Mexican cities with a population of more than 5,000, to come up with the list. Española, a city of a little more than 10,000, experienced 270 cases of reported violent crime in 2012, according to the Bureau’s numbers. That boils down to 26.14 incidents per 1,000 people. Violent crime comprises murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault, as defined by the Bureau. There are an average 3.86 violent crime incidents per 1,000 people in the United States, the Bureau’s website states. Española Chief of Public Safety Richard Gallegos, said the high violent crime rate is caused, in part, by the high number of visitors from surrounding communities. “I’ve been here for several years,” he said. “First of all, we don’t just deal with people from the Valley. We have people coming from rural communities. Statistics show, on our end, persons of interest we’ve identified. I think that adds to our numbers.” Española snagged the list’s top spot from second-place Gallup, which had 18.73 violent crime incidents per 1,000 people in 2012. Gallup has a population of 22,300. Neighboring Taos took fifth place, with 9.79 incidents per 1,000 people and Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, took See 'Española' on page A4 (SUNfoto by Wheeler Cowperthwaite) Española Police Officer Eric Gallant delivers a short lecture Tuesday to three men and a woman about their alleged heroin use. Gallant issued non-traffic citations for the possession of drug paraphernalia to Jeffrey J. Atencio, 22, and Cynthia Campos-Escarcega, 21, after he pulled over the red Mustang in the Rio Grande SUN parking lot. Woman's Charges Will Not Be Dropped Jemez Co-op Kayla Coriz will face prosecution in connection with April rape By Wheeler Cowperthwaite and Barron Jones SUN Staff Writers The young woman accused of helping her boyfriend and his friend entrap and rape an 18-year-old Pojoaque woman at a house off of McCurdy Road in April will not have the charges against her dismissed. District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer denied Kayla Coriz’s lawyer’s motion Oct. 8, to have the charges against her dismissed because prosecutors allegedly broke the grand jury rules and did not present all the evidence that could prove she did not commit the crimes of which she is accused. A grand jury indicted Coriz, 19, on June 4, on charges of rape, kidnapping and conspiracy to commit rape and conspiracy to kidnap. Coriz’s lawyer, Doug Couleur, said in court, the evidence (SUNfoto by Wheeler Cowperthwaite) Kayla Coriz prepares to leave the courtroom Oct. 8, after the judge denied a motion, by her lawyer Doug Couleur (left), to have the charges against her dismissed. A grand jury indicted her on charges of first-degree rape, kidnapping and conspiracy to rape and kidnap. the prosecutors failed to properly reveal to the grand jury could have led to Coriz not being indicted in the first place. In question were four separate statements made by the victim, the victim’s friend and one of the alleged rapists. The first was the victim’s original statement following the alleged rape, that Coriz had covered the victim’s mouth to stifle her screams. During the grand jury hearing, the victim said ei- ther Irin Martinez, 16, or Jacob Martinez, 16, covered her mouth to stifle her screams when they heard Coriz coming. “I’m not quite sure if the result would have been different,” Marlowe said, referring to the grand jury’s indictment. Prosecutor Susan Stinson said she agreed that Coriz was not in the room when the victim was allegedly brutally raped. She did not elicit the conflicting testimony at the time of the 11-hour grand jury hearing because she did not realize the change. The second statement at issue was made by a woman identified only by the first name Monique, who allegedly said, during interviews, the victim had a drinking problem and took prescription medications her mother kept locked in a cabinet. The third statement at issue was made by Irin Martinez when he spoke to police. He said he left the room the victim was allegedly being raped in and bumped into Coriz, who asked him what he was doing. This statement contradicted Coriz’s entire three-hour statement to police, Stinson said. The fourth statement was See 'Woman' on page A4 Hires Manager By Barron Jones SUN Staff Writer The Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees named a new general manager, replacing the man who came out of retirement to lead the Co-op. Alcalde’s Joseph Sanchez was named the new general manager Oct. 6 and will replace Ernesto Gonzales, who held the position for the past 14 months. Board members settled on Sanchez after sifting through an original onslaught of 46 candidates according to Board President John Tapia. Gonzales was one of those candidates, but he removed his name from the list during the annual picnic. Gonzales said he dropped out of the running so he could spend time with family. Tapia said the process went quickly once the Co-op narrowed the search. “We had a total of 46 candidates and we took it down to 19,” Tapia said. “Based on the rankings, we identified six finalists, but one had taken a job and that left five finalists.” Tapia said the Co-op extended Gonzales’s contract to help with the transition. The goal was to have the position filled before Gonzales’s contract expired at the end of August. He said Gonzales will stay on until Sanchez assumes responsibility for the Co-op’s day-to-day operations. “I am sure he will be around to help Mr. Sanchez’s transition,” Tapia said. Tapia said the new general manager will have his work cut out for him because he will inherit several issues, including the task of modernizing the Coop. “One of the biggest things is moving the Co-op forward in this modern world,” Tapia said. “The biggest thing is ensuring the Co-op is structured to meet our needs and demands.” Although Tapia wouldn’t reveal the exact dollar amount of the new general manager’s See 'Manager' on page A2 Mayor Sets Sights Grant Aims to Curb Youth Drug Use On Another City Manager Candidate By Ardee Napolitano SUN Staff Writer Could fifth time be a charm? By Ardee Napolitano SUN Staff Writer For the fifth time in five months, city officials are crossing their fingers that the latest city manager appointment will stick. After Assistant Santa Fe County Manager Tony Flores, the fourth appointee to the position, ultimately declined the city’s job offer, city councilors ratified 7-0, at a Tuesday meeting, Mayor Alice Lucero’s appointment of Kelly Duran as city manager. Councilor Dennis Salazar was absent. Duran, who currently serves as the executive director of the Española Valley Chamber of Commerce, said he feels grateful for the opportunity and has already accepted Lucero’s offer. “I’m excited, I’m honored and I’m even humbled,” he said. “I was somewhat caught off guard. Through all my proSee 'Four' on page A3 City officials received a $100,000 grant from a New Mexico organization to keep more students away from drugs. After identifying Española as one of the areas most plagued by substance abuse problems in the state, Las Cruces-based High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area awarded the one-year grant to the city to support the planned Project Rio Arriba County Empowerment program. The organization will also provide the city an additional $14,000. The grant will expire in June 2015. Mayor Alice Lucero said she started coordinating with organization representatives for funding during the summer. She said the project is the first of its kind (SUNfoto by Ardee Napolitano) Marcella Maestas was hired by Mayor Alice Lucero to manage the Project Rio Arriba County Empowerment program, a drug prevention and career development initiative that targets students in the Española Valley. Maestas, a graduate of Española Valley High School, started the job Sept. 29 and will earn an annual salary of $42,000. in the state. “This came upon us pretty fast,” she said. “This means so much to me because it means they (organization) are really committed to the effort. I believe it is being done in other areas back East, but never in New Mexico.” According to the details of the grant, officials will help local students find job opportunities through the project, to help keep them away from drugs. Three students will compete for each position offered by a local business through an application process, during which they will receive career support. Students will work without pay for one month. At the end of that period, the business will be obligated to hire at least one of the candidates for a position that See 'Employee' on page A4
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