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Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Child sex tape suspect given 15-year term
A Monahans man was sentenced to federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child in U.S. District Court in Midland on Friday.
United States Attorney John E. Murphy announced that 50-year-old Alan Ray Steen of Monahans, Texas, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child.
In addition to the prison term, United States District Judge Robert Junell ordered that Steen be placed under supervised release for a period of 10 years after completing his prison term. Judge Junell also ordered that Steen must register as a sex offender.
Steen was convicted on Oct. 21, 2009, by a federal jury, after a trial that revealed that on April 13, 2009, Steen attempted to video an adult female while she was preparing to tan at the Electric Sun Tanning Salon in Odessa.
The adult female became aware of Steen’s attempt and the Odessa Police Department was contacted. A forensic examination of the digital video camera revealed that on April 3, 2009, Steen caused a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such activity.
This investigation was conducted by the Odessa Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Brandi Young and John Klassen prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Council asking county for info on land request
Land dealings involving Reeves County and the Reeves County Hospital District were on the agenda for the Town of Pecos City Council, during their regular meeting on Thursday at City Hall.
The council opted against giving a share of the funds the city received from the sale of land to the Reeves County Hospital District to the Pecos Economic Development Corp., and wanted further information from Reeves County, on why the county has doubled their request for land owned by the city between the Pecos Municipal Airport and the Reeves County Golf Course.
Council members had previously approved giving 111 acres of land to the county for expansion of the Reeves County Golf Course to a full 18-hole layout. Most of that is to be funded through a $12 million bond issue passed by county voters in 2007, and commissioners last year opted to locate a planned baseball and softball complex that was part of the bond issue on the southwest side of the golf course.
The new request from Reeves County is asking the city to give up 221.39 acres of land on the south and southwest sides of the golf course. It was presented to the council as part of a survey report done by Tony Trujillo on behalf of the county. However, members said they had not been informed by the county about the additional land request until they received the survey.
“I’d like to have the council be presented with the usage of the land,” mayor Dick Alligood said. “The city has been promised a new golf course for about three years, and we’re still waiting.
“We’re still looking at that land for developmental purposes,” he said, adding that the city had turned down previous land inquiries in the area, due to the original 111-acre agreement with Reeves County. “I would certainly like to know what they’re going to use the 221 acres for, if they’re not going to use it for a golf course.”
City attorney Scott Johnson said the council could just approve accepting the survey now and look at any transfer of land later, after a presentation by county officials.
The land involving the hospital district and the PEDC was four lots sold by the city to the hospital through the PEDC on Stafford Boulevard, at a cost of $35,000, which will be the site of the hospital’s new rural health clinic. The city deeded the land to the PEDC, which then made the sale, in order to get around the normal competitive bidding process required for city land sales.
Johnson said PEDC president Rob Tobias was asking the council to give the agency a portion of the $35,000 fee. He said similar agreements had been done in the past, with the PEDC getting 20 percent of the sale price. “They want a portion of it for administering the performance contract,” he said.
Alligood, who is also a member of the PEDC board, said the company is already funded through a share of the city’s sales tax. “I don’t think it (land sale fees) should be set on a commission basis. That’s like grant writers getting a percentage, and we know the problems we’ve had there in past,” he said.
“I see both sides of this,” said city manager and PEDC board member Joseph Torres. “The sales tax is down considerably, and funding is very tight,” He said the PEDC’s monthly income from the city’s sales tax has dropped from over $20,000 two years ago to around $12,000 in recent months, but also noted the drop in tax revenues also has hurt the city’s budget.
“As city manager I would prefer that $35,000 go straight to the city, but I can see where the PEDC is coming from,” he said.
“I would have liked to have seen this earlier in the game, where we could have included it in the negotiation process” council member Cody West said.
Both Tobias and councilman and PEDC board chairman Danny Rodriguez were not at the meeting, due to an economic development leadership conference in Houston. Councilwoman Bernadette Ornelas also was absent on Thursday, while West and councilmen Gerald Tellez and Frank Sanchez voted to keep the full $35,000 payment in the city’s general fund.
Council OKs new city dog license, pound fees
After spending much of last year figuring out how to get stray and dangerous dogs into the Town of Pecos City’s new animal shelter, city council members on Thursday night spent time figuring out how to get them out, and how much that cost would be.
The council approved the first reading of a revised rate schedule for dog owners to reclaim pets picked up by the city’s animal control officer, which included increases in most fees to cover higher operational and maintenance costs. They also approved the second reading of an ordnance raising dog license fees in the city from $1 to $5 per year.
Pecos Animal Control Officer Holly Jarocki presented the council with the current fee list at the shelter, and the planned increases. They called for increasing the pick-up fee from $10 to $20, and the care and feeding fee for animals at the shelter from $2 to $5 per day.
Fees of $35 to pick up a dangerous animal during regular hours and $50 for one picked up during off-hours were also proposed. But the one fee that council had concern with was the increase in the rabies quarantine fee from $10 to $20 per day.
“By having to pay a fee of this nature, hopefully people will be more inclined to get their animals vaccinated, and just pay the $15 fee for vaccination,” she said.
State law requires a 10-day quarantine period for animals involving a possible rabies incident, which led to a complaint from audience member Sammy Urias.
“Ten days would be $200. That’s a lot of money,” he said, and Pecos Mayor Dick Alligood agreed the new rate, plus the $35 pick-up fee, would be costly for owners of dogs under quarantine.
“We have a state law that says we will keep this dog and quarantine for x-amount of time, and then we’ll release it back to its owner,” he said. “If we raise the price of quarantining of animals we’re going to be putting a financial burden on the owners.”
“There is an option for home quarantine we are able to make,” Jarocki said, though that requires the animal be kept separated from both people and other animals during the 10-day period.
“We’re working with the community. We don’t want to slam someone with a $235 bill, but we want to keep the community safe,” she said. “The dogs bite because the dogs are loose, and we’re talking to the owners of every dog.”
“The ordinance currently reads fees shall not exceed $10 per day. That means you have flexibility,” councilman Cody West said. He and councilman Frank Sanchez told Jarocki if the wording was kept in the new ordinance, it didn’t mean owners would have to be charged the $20 per day quarantine fee.
“In this case it gives you the flexibility to assess ($20) or not assess,” Sanchez said. But Alligood said allowing a variable rate could open the ACO officer up to charges of favoritism.
“I think it’s something that needs to be fixed. We need to say ‘this is the fee’,” he said.
The council then agreed to a reading of the new fee rates without the increase in the quarantine fee.
“This is the first reading which I’m sure will get some attention,” the mayor said. The second reading will be at the next council meeting on Feb. 11, and Alligood said he and the council want to hear from other local residents on the new rates before that time.
Urias was the only person in the audience to question the council over the increase in the license fee, which was approved earlier in Thursday’s meeting. “I’ve got four dogs, so that’s $20,” he told the council.
“We are right around to the other towns and we have to pick up the costs,” Alligood said. “Five dollars per animal is not steep. If you got up to $15 per animal, that’s steep.”
Feds jail 32 in Monahans drug sweep
Federal and local agents arrested 32 persons in Monahans and the surrounding area on Thursday, in a round-up on a variety of drug charges.
John E. Murphy, United States Attorney, and Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Arabit of the Drug Enforcement Administration–El Paso Field Division, announced the arrests, based on federal drug distribution charges and four individuals on state drug distribution charges in Monahans.
The drug charges, contained in 16 separate indictments returned on Wednesday and unsealed Thursday morning, include conspiracy to distribute controlled substances as well as distribution of controlled substances, namely “crack” cocaine, powder cocaine and heroin. Some of the distributions are alleged to have occurred within 1,000 feet of protected locations including playgrounds, schools and public housing facilities.
Those arrested include:
Tammara Bailey, age 30, of Monahans; Joe Antonio Torres, age 27, of Monahans; Richard Robert Ford, age 59, of Monahans; Joshua Salgado Navarrete, age 26, of Odessa; Tyeatha Lashawn Baker, age 37, of Monahans; Jay Salgado Navarrete , age 24, of Odessa; Edward Gaylord Southall, age 37, of Monahans; Joe Alfred Garcia, age 27, of Monahans; Terrance Martel Washington, age 24, of Monahans; Zachary Sotelo Esparza, age 26, of Monahans; Sylvin Anderson, age 25, of Monahans; Oscar Garcia, III, age 26, of Monahans; Lavada Williams, age 28, of Monahans; Joshua Lee Mitchell, age 27, of Monahans; Evat Thomas Chatman, age 27, of Monahans; Jacques LaShawn Miles, age 45, of Monahans; Isaac Ryan Wilson, age 23, of Monahans; Jason Michael Nickels, age 30, of Monahans; Omar Ramirez, age 27, of Monahans; Sierra Otilia Ancira, age 24, of Monahans; Erica Deann Ontiveroz, age 30, of Monahans; Ariel Rameriz, age 36 of Monahans; Ismael Diaz, age 40, of Monahans; Eric Rivas, age 25, of Monahans; Brittany Marie Gonzales, age 25, of Monahans; Omar Lujan, age 39, of Monahans; and, Nanette Michele Villesca, age 39, of Monahans, and Josh Lee Brandenburg, age 20, of Monahans.
Federal arrest warrants have been issued for the following six defendants in this investigation:
Todrick Deshone Simmons, age 23, of Odessa; Michael Joseph Oyerbides, age 27, of Monahans; Hector Anthony Orosco, age 40, of Monahans; Thomas Lujan, age 58, of Monahans; Mary Rivera Rodriguez, age 61, of Monahans; and, Bryan Sewell, age 37, of Monahans.
In conjunction with this enforcement operation the following individuals were arrested on various State/local charges:
David Adam Graves, age 27, of Monahans; Richard Baca Ortiz, age 38, of Monahans; Amita Johnson, age 58, of Monahans; and, Jimmy Earl Raspberry, age 31, of Lamesa.
“The success of this investigation exemplifies the outstanding cooperation among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in the Permian Basin Region. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners in order to enhance the quality of life in the neighborhoods throughout this area,” stated DEA Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Arabit.
This case resulted from a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Midland Resident Office and the Monahans Police Department with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Texas Department of Public Safety as well as Task Force officer’s of the Midland Sheriff’s Office and the Midland Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Parras is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Youngblood deployed to help in Operation Freedom
Air Force Sgt. John C. Youngblood is currently deployed to Southwest Asia in the Persian Gulf region serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom. The servicemember is regularly assigned to the 660th Maintenance Squadron, Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, Calif.
Operation Iraqi Freedom is the official name given to military operations involving members of the U.S. armed forces and coalition forces participating in efforts to free and secure Iraq. Mission objectives focus on force protection, peacekeeping, stablization, security and counter-insurgency operations as the Iraqi transitional governing bodies assume full sovereign powers to govern the peoples of Iraq.
Members from all branches of the U.S. military and multinational forces are also assisting in rebuilding Iraq’s economic and governmental infrastructure, and training and preparing Iraqi military and security forces to assume full authority and responsibility in defending and preserving Iraq’s sovereignty and independence as a democracy.
Operation Enduring Freedom is the official name given to anti-terrorism military operations involving U.S. troops and allied coalition partners. Active duty and reserve component members from all branches of the U.S. armed forces have been deployed to support the war against global terrorism outside the borders of the United States. U.S. troops serve in South, Southwest and Central Asia, the Arabian peninsula, the Horn of Africa, islands in the Pacific, and Europe.
Youngblood is a KC-10 aircraft production superintendent with 16 years of military service.
He is the son of Belinday Bradley of Monahans and John E. Youngblood III of Odessa.
His grandparent, Aubrey A. Bowman, resides in Monahans.
The master sergeant received a bachelor’s degree in 2003 from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
County OKs new large item disposal sites
Type IV waste disposal units will be placed in Saragosa and Brogado in an effort to help the citizens in that rural area dispose of some of the heavier trash items, following action last week by the Reeves County Commissioner’s Court.
Reeves County Emergency Management Coordinator Ricky Herrera was on hand for the Wednesday meeting, and told commissioners about the disposal units that would be placed at both locations.
“The citizens have been made aware of it and are anticipating it and inquiring about it,” said Herrera.
He said that they had contacted the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and said that they felt they could start the procedure next month.
“One will be placed at County Road 316 behind the Carrasco store in Brogado,” said Herrera. “The other one in Saragosa will be placed at the old landfill there,” Herrera said.
He added that it would require a county employee to be out there during the time that the drop off station will be open.
“We will set up a truck and roll off bin and they can take the items out there, we will load them up for them and after it’s full bring it in,” said Herrera.
The drop-off bin would be open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on the designated dates.
“It’s going to be a learning process and we will need proof that the people do live in that area,” said Herrera, who added they could make adjustments as they moved forward.
The drop-off bin will be for all Type IV waste materials such as tree limbs, demolition debris, trash clippings, etc.
“This landfill does take white items and we will be working on that also,” said Herrera. “We talked about having one Saturday for Type IV materials and one for just white items, and then another for just tires.”
Herrera said that this would help with the trash that is being thrown on county roads. “This way they will have somewhere to dispose of their different trash items,” said Herrera.
“I think this will be a good service and make a good dent in the amount of trash that is thrown on county roads,” said Herrera.
Herrera said that they would be making a list of the different items that can be disposed of on those particular days.
“We’ll also be keeping a log to see how many items or tons are collected and disposed of,” said Herrera.
The commissioners also approved a donation of a boat, motor and trailer from the Texas Parks and Wildlife to the Reeves County Sheriff’s Office.
“When the parks and wildlife have items that are no longer of use to them, they offer them to law enforcement,” said Reeves County Sheriff’s Deputy Reno Lewis.
Lewis said that this donation would come in handy for them since there are two lakes in Reeves County, “and we have used this one in the rescue of a 10-year-old girl.”
Lewis told the group that the boat is in good condition and that they were happy to have it. “It will come in handy and we will use it,” he said.
Personnel and salary changes included: at the Reeves County Judge’s Office, Pat Sparkman at $26,450 a year; at the RCDC I/II – new hires, Leon Lopez, SI’s officer, correctional officers Giovanni Carrasco and Tiffany Rodriguez at $16.49 an hour; salary/title changes: Esteban Reza and Eric Gamboa to activities lieutenants at $20.13 an hour and Alicia Acosta, correctional officer at $16.49 an hour.
At the Reeves County Detention Center III: Collin Sears, comp. serv. manager, at $20.27 an hour and Eric Rodriguez, correctional officer at $16.49 an hour; in the treasurer’s department, Amy Salgado at $22,050; at the recreation dept., part-time, Niomi Tarango at $8.00 an hour; at the Reeves County Attorney’s office, Debra Chacon, at $7.25 an hour; at the Reeves County Golf Course, outside pro shop help, Michael Baca at $7.25 an hour, less than 40 hours.
Gifted and Talented program open for nominees
Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD provides a program for the students in the district who are identified as gifted and talented.
Kindergarten is in the process of identifying students for this program.
If anybody has any questions about the G/T program, needs more information, or want to nominate a student for the program, contact the campus principal, Suzanne Dominguez at 447-7596.
Pet licenses now available in Pecos
The Annual 2010 Pet License are now available for purchase at the Pecos Animal Facility, 2335 Moore St., Pecos (behind the Pecos Municipal Police Department).
The cost per license is $5.00 per animal.
All animals in the Pecos City limits per Pecos City Ordinance is required to have attached to their collar a city license tag along with a current rabies license tag.
GED Registration scheduled at PHS
GED Registration will be held from 3-5 p.m., Monday, March 8, at the Pecos High School, Room 2.
Testing dates will be Tuesday, March 9 and Wednesday, March 10, at the Pecos High School, Room 2.
Examinees must present a Texas Driver’s License or Texas Department of Public Safety ID Card.
For more information call Eva Arriola, Pecos High School Counselor at 447-7406.
March trial set for inmates charged in RCDC I/II riot
A late March trial date has tentatively been set in U.S. District Court in Pecos for a dozen inmates charged with leading the five-day riot one year ago this week that caused damages to the Reeves County Detention Center now estimated at $45.6 million.
Daryl Fields, public affairs officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District on Texas, said that the 12 defendants are in federal custody pending trial, which is currently scheduled for March 23 before U.S. District Judge Robert Junell in Pecos.
The indictments were returned on Jan. 14 by a U.S. District Court jury meeting in Pecos, charging the 12 with three counts in connection with the riot, which began on Jan. 31, 2009 and continued until Feb. 5, and which resulted in the RCDC I unit being condemned, requiring reconstruction and improvements to the two units that came in about $15 million over the county’s insurance payments, forcing Reeves County Commissioners to approve an emergency bond issue this past fall to finance the remaining cost..
The 12 indicted were identified as Pedro Baldovinas, Juan Escobedo-Balero, Manuel Mendoza-Morales, Osvaldo Nevarez-Ortiz, Enrique Martinez, Cesar Quintanilla-Benavidez, Jaime Padilla, Joel Inzunza, Juan Gomez, Lorenzo Olivas-Pena, Eduardo Soriano-Velador and Lorenzo Dominguez-Sianez. They were charged with causing a riot at a federal correctional facility, conspiracy and use of fire to commit a federal felony offense.
Fields said if they are found guilty, the 12 face maximum sentences for Counts one and two of up to 10 years imprisonment. “Count three carries with it a consecutive 10 years imprisonment to sentences handed down on the other charges,” he said.
Justin E Fleck, FBI Special Agent who earlier had investigated the Dec. 12-13, 2008 riot at the Reeves County Detention Center III unit that led to 25 indictments, is also in charge of the RCDC I-II riot probe, and submitted an affidavit to Junell in early December at the request of the U.S. Attorney’s office, when two of the inmates, Manuel Mendoza-Morales and Osvaldo Nevarez-Ortiz, were scheduled for release and deportation to Mexico.
In the affidavit, Fleck said the riot began on Saturday, Jan. 31, a day after an inmate, identified as Ramon Garcia, became ill. “The facility doctor ordered inmate Garcia to be brought to the Special Housing Unit (SHU) for observation until Monday. Inmate Garcia did not want to go to the SHU and stated to the guards ‘When the inmates find out you’ve taken me to the SHU all hell is going to break loose,’ and ‘…you people are going to see what is going to happen. My people are going to burn this place down and get me out of here! This is not over.”
Fleck said the following day, Baldovinas and Escobedo-Balero, also know as “Paco” and a third inmate, identified as Mauricio Gutierrez-Ochoa, came forward and demanded the release of Garcia back into the general population. “The staff refused to comply with the inmates’ demands. Paco responded by stating to the staff that he ‘would not be responsible for what’s fixing to happen’.”
Fleck said as the three were being taken back to their cells, one of the inmates yelled to Mendoza-Morales, who then began yelling to the other inmates to flood their cells. Nevarez-Ortiz then walked back from the laundry room to his cell, before yelling back to Mendoza-Morales.
“They both began to flood their cells and throw food, trash and water out of the slots on the doors of their cells. Soon after, the other inmates joined in and the officers lost control of the SHU and had to evacuate,” Fleck said in his statement. “Approximately 720 inmates began defying staff’s orders, donning disguises, ramming doors open, breaking windows and threatening staff. Ultimately, the inmates housed in R-I took complete control of R-I.”
Fleck said the staff retreated to a stronghold between the R-I and R-II units, where they were sprayed with fire hoses by the inmates, who attempted to surround the staff, which eventually retreated to the safety of the R-II side of the facility, after numerous staff members sustained minor injuries.
“The inmates from R-I forced their way into the recreation yard. The inmates went to the fence of the north end of the recreation yard, which separates R-I and R-II,” Fleck said. “The inmates breached the fence and gained access to R-II. The inmates began breaking windows and prying doors open of the housing units and the Special Housing Unit of R-II.
“The staff was again overpowered and retreated from R-II. There were a total of approximately 1,450 inmates in R-II, and they joined the rioting inmates from R-I,” the agent said. “At this point, all prison staff retreated from the interior of the entire facility. The staff set up a perimeter around the exterior of the prison and called for area law enforcement assistance.”
Fleck said the standoff would last through Feb. 5, during which time, “The inmates had an organized hierarchy with leader and persons assigned to specific duties, such as guards and lookouts. During the riot the inmates set fires to almost every building in R-I. The rioting inmates also set fires in R-II.”
Fleck said the total estimated damage for both RCDC I and II was put at $45,608,201.
Mendoza-Morales was due to be released from custody on Dec. 9, 2009 from the Oakdale Federal Detention Center in Oakdale, La., while Nevarez-Ortiz was due for release two days later from the RCDC. Both were scheduled to be turned over to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for deportation to Mexico. U.S. Attorney John E. Murphy and Assistant U.S. Attorney Monty Kimball asked Judge Junell to hold both over until indictments could be returned on the RCDC riot, a request Junell granted on Dec. 8, 2009.
“Even though charges have been filed in this case, our investigation continues,” Fields said.
The SHU in the RCDC III unit was also identified as the area where the December 2008 riot began in that facility. Fleck identified Alex Javier Morales-Romero and Carlos-Alberto Morales-Rojas as the inmates to began the riot, following the death of Jesus Manuel Galindo in a cell across from where the two were being held in that unit’s Special Housing Unit.
Two prison workers were taken hostage and a recreation building was destroyed and one housing unit damaged in the RCDC III riot, which involved inmates kept separate from those in the other two prison units. That riot ended early in the morning of Dec. 13, and most of the inmates in the RCDC III riot pled guilty last year and were sentenced in U.S. District Court. Alex Javier Morales-Romero's trial was continued in late September, pending further evaluation.
Festivities planned for Valentine’s Day
A Valentine’s Day Dance will be held from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 13, at Santa Rosa Hall.
In addition, the First Annual Religious Formation “Jamaica” is scheduled to take place beginning at 10 a.m., until 6 p.m., at the Santa Rosa Church Grounds.
Music, food and fun are planned throughout the day for the entire family, with the dance scheduled for that evening.
Grupo Maravilla and Group Erupcion will be on hand to provide the music during the dance.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 432-445-5475, FAX 432-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
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