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TOP STORIESDecember 11, 1997
Hair-brained scheme leads to arrestBy ROSIE FLORES Staff Writer PECOS, December 11, 1997 - Two individuals were arrested Tuesday and are currently in the Presidio County Jail in Marfa following a "hairy" situation. Veronica Melendez Gomez, 21, of Pecos, was arrested in Fort Davis, Tuesday, Dec. 9, at 11:35 a.m., after a routine traffic stop. Rene Humberto Anaya-Hernandez, 26, of Ojinaga, Chih., Mexico, was the driver of the 1988 pickup truck that was stopped for having his windows tinted too dark. "The border patrol agent that stopped him immediately recognized him from other times," said Permian Basin Drug Task Force Commander Tom Finley. Anaya-Hernandez had no driver's license and both individuals were searched. "They got suspicious about the two and decided to search them," said Finley. The search turned up seven ounces of black tar heroin hidden in Gomez' hair. "She kept telling them it was just rollers in her hair, but she had pinned it up with bobby pins or something and she had a lot of hair, in which she had concealed the drugs," said Finley. Both individuals were charged with felony possession of heroin and as of Wednesday were still in the Presidio County Jail in Marfa. DPS employee arrested in drug bustBy RICK L. SMITH Staff Writer PECOS, December 11, 1997 - A Texas Department of Public Safety communications operator, his wife and their son were arrested here last night after law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at their home and allegedly found about 5.5 ounces of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Frank William and Alta Bechtel were arrested at 9:39 p.m. yesterday after police found the marijuana and triple-beam scales in the master bedroom of the house at 902 S. Hickory St., according to Pecos Narcotics Investigator Paul Deishler. Their son, Skyler Bechtel, was arrested when the officers found drug paraphernalia, such as bongs and other pipes used to smoke marijuana, in his bedroom, Deishler said. The Bechtels were taken to Reeves County Jail and were indicted in district court this morning. The amount of marijuana found in the home constitutes a felony and charges against the three are further compounded because their home is located within 1,000 feet of a school, Deishler said. The three are charged with possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) in a felony amount within 1,000 feet of a school. They could face penalties as stiff as two to 10 years in the state penitentiary, according to Deishler. Members of the Permian Basin Drug Task Force, Reeves County Sheriff's Deputies and Pecos Police made the arrests on a search warrant obtained after an undercover officer purchased some marijuana at the residence, Deishler said. "They were all very cooperative during the arrest," Deishler said.
Drug charges filed against 32 defendantsBy PEGGY McCRACKEN
Crime picks up during holidaysBy CARA ALLIGOOD Staff Writer PECOS, December 11, 1997 - According to Pecos Police Department Investigator Lieutenent Kelly Davis, "crime always increases around the holidays." There are more burglaries and what Davis referred to as "emotional crimes," because the holiday season tends to highten people's emotional responses to the situations they have to deal with, and so does the alcohol which many people consume during various festivities. Yesterday, the Pecos Enterprise received calls about two crimes that were allegedly committed recently, an assault on a female employee of the police department by a police officer, and a house burglary. Police records do not show evidence that either of the alleged crimes was committed within the past week, although the burglary was supposed to have been committed Monday evening. The person whose home was allegedly burglarized was unavailable for comment as of press time. Of the alleged assault, Davis said, "I am not allowed to talk about any ongoing investigation." When Pecos Police Chief Troy Moore was asked about the situation, he said that "if, in fact, something like this has occurred, it is handled by an internal affairs investigation." Moore said further, "If we have started an internal affairs investigation, it is on advice of the city attorney that no information can be made public." Davis could not find any information about a house burglary occurring Monday on the department's computer records. In fact, he said, "I haven't worked any house burglaries, and I don't believe that Olga (Lopez, another investigator) has either. It's been slow, and we've been fortunate." Davis said that the police department is considering putting a second dispatcher on duty both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve because of the increased work load on those days. "We usually have so much going on those nights that one dispatcher can't handle it all." Davis said that burglars break into homes because they believe that nobody is at home. He said that such crimes are split between opportunists, who see a home that appears unoccupied, and those who already know what someone has in their home and they make plans to steal certain items at a later time. He offered some advice to help prevent making your home one that a thief is likely to target. *Leave some lights on. Burglars don't like lights. *Leave on something that makes noise, such as a television or radio. *Leave a car in the driveway. *If you will be gone for an extended period of time, use timers on some of your lights, and have a neighbor check on your home. "Or, call the police department and we'll check on it for you," Davis said. *Motion sensor lights are good, but they should be mounted up really high so the "bad guys" can't unscrew them when they go off, Davis said. Davis also mentioned that there are lots of good, inexpensive alarms available here in town. He said they cost less than most of the things that thieves would want to steal.
POLICE REPORTPECOS, December 11, 1997 - 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. *** Kenneth Christopher Salas, 25, 110 W. 8th, was arrested at 11:46 p.m. Dec. 5 upon turning himself in for two warrants on indictments for delivery of marijuana. *** Jimmy White, 64, 523 Martinez St., was arrested at 9:16 p.m. Dec. 6 in the 1300 block of S. Elm for public intoxication. *** Matthew John Armendariz, 18, 401 E. D St., was arrested at 3 a.m. Dec. 7 in the 500 block of S. Mulberry for public intoxication. *** A Roadmaster 10-speed bicycle was stolen from 614 S. Walnut sometime between 9 and 9:33 p.m. on Dec. 7. *** Christopher Adame was arrested at 11:03 p.m. Dec. 5 in the 800 block of Walnut for public intoxication. *** Gomisindo Almanza was arrested at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 8 on a warrant service at municipal court. He paid a fine and was released. *** Rosa R. Munoz was arrested at 11:58 a.m. Dec. 8 at municipal court on two warrants. She paid the fines and was released. *** Daniel H. Rayos was arrested at 10:35 a.m. Dec. 9 on a warrant after turning himself in at municipal court. *** Luke Chandler Hoelcher, 19, W. Hwy. 80, was arrested at 3:20 p.m. Dec. 3 in the 2000 block of Nebraska for deadly conduct.
CRIME STOPPERSPECOS, December 11, 1997 - Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 in reward for information leading to the arrest and Grand Jury indictment of person(s) responsible for the incident described below. Anyone having any information on this crime or any other crime can call "Crime Stoppers" at 445-9898 and you will remain anonymous. On Nov. 4, 1997, the Pecos Police Department was dispatched to the Chiropractic Clinic, located at 1309 West Third Street, in reference to Criminal Mischief. Sometime between the hours of noon Nov. 1 and 11 a.m. Nov. 4, a person or persons had shot the front glass door to the clinic with an unknown object, causing the glass door to break. Cost to replace the door was placed at $300. WEATHERPECOS, December 11, 1997 - High Wednesday, 49, low this morning, 26. A secondary surge of cold air following a cold front into Texas will plunge temperatures to below freezing as far south as Corpus Christi tonight and early Friday. Some light snow fell across portions of the Panhandle before dawn today. A warming trend is expected to begin from north to south on Saturday. An upper-level trough of low pressure moving across West Texas produced some light snow and flurries from the northern portion of the South Plains northward through the Panhandle before dawn today. Clouds will be decreasing across West Texas tonight with skies becoming clear to partly cloudy on Friday. There is a chance of brief snow flurries across North Texas tonight and early Friday, but no significant snowfall is expected. It will be cloudy through Friday. Clouds will be decreasing by Friday afternoon. Lows tonight will be near 10 in northern areas of the Panhandle to the 20s elsewhere across West Texas. Highs Friday will be in the 40s in West Texas.
Pecos Enterprise
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