Police say the U.S. Marshals Service has arrested two suspects wanted in the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old Army veteran at an ATM last month. Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Daren J. DeAguero said that Matthew Chavez, 25, and Veronica Trimble, 22, were arrested in Oklahoma on Friday. An Oklahoma television station reports that the pair were taken into custody at the Winstar Casino in Love County. Albuquerque police say Chavez shot Lackey Feb. 5 after an attempted robbery at an ATM in the city, and that Trimble was with him at the time.
Santa Fe police are searching for a suspect who robbed a woman of her purse close to downtown. The Santa Fe New Mexican says the incident occurred as the victim and her husband were leaving a restaurant around 9 p.m. Friday. Police Chief Patrick Gallagher says they were approached by a man who threatened them with a 6-inch knife. The suspected robber took the woman's purse and then got inside the passenger side of a white minivan. The couple told police the license plate was covered. The suspect is described as 5-foot-6, with short black hair and a goatee. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and dark pants.
A businessman accused of misleading investors of a Kirtland hospital project has entered a plea related to embezzlement charges. The New Mexico Office of the Attorney General says Bobby Willis pleaded no contest Friday to two felony counts of embezzlement in Farmington District Court. Authorities say Willis stole gemstones and jewelry from a former business partner and embezzled from an escrow account. He also defrauded a couple of nearly $1 million, urging them to invest in the construction of a VA hospital. Willis faces up to 12 years in prison under the agreement. He has also been ordered to pay restitution to his victims. Willis is the former owner of New Mexico Title Co.
Canine search teams, a drone pilot and two hikers scoured a rugged area along the Rio Grande in New Mexico for a Colorado man who's been missing for two months. Volunteers have been looking every weekend for clues to the whereabouts of Randy Bilyeu. The father and grandfather went missing in early January after setting out in search of author Forrest Fenn's $2 million cache of gold, jewels and artifacts. Bilyeu's dog and raft were found along the river northwest of Santa Fe. Ex-wife Linda Bilyeu has been helping to organize volunteer searches from her home in Florida.
An Albuquerque woman who went missing more than six months ago has been found dead. An Albuquerque police spokesman says 35-year-old Sara Sydow's body was located this week near Golden in Santa Fe County, more than 30 miles away from where she was last seen. Investigators say her death appears suspicious but they are waiting for an official autopsy report to determine the cause. Family and friends say she never made it home after work on September 19th.
Gov. Susana Martinez has until Wednesday to sign, veto or disregard dozens of unsigned bills passed by the state Legislature. They include measures with strong bipartisan backing such as revisions to immigrant driver's licenses and a bill aimed at welcoming and regulating ride-booking companies like Uber. The fate is less certain for a bill on treatment of the mentally ill modeled after a law in New York. New Mexico'sversion would allow a state district court judge to order people diagnosed with mental illness into treatment programs for up to one year. The Republican governor has yet to endorse a bill from Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez that would funnel forfeited lottery prizes to a fund subsidizing in-state tuition. Martinez has the authority to strike Legislature-approved infrastructure projects from a $186 million bill tied to general obligation bonds. She can veto items line-by-line before the measure goes before voters in the fall. Martinez signed a variety of legislation on Friday before traveling to Kansas to campaign for GOP presidential contender Marco Rubio.
Officials with New Mexico Highlands University are facing budget cuts totally $1.2 million. The Las Vegas Optic reports that regents were told on Friday that the university needs to trim spending during the current fiscal year by more than $100,000 and decrease spending by $1.2 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Interim Vice President for Finance and Administration Max Baca says the school will have to increase tuition and fees as well as save money for the future budget. The $6.2 billion state budget that state lawmakers approved last month reduced funding for most state agencies and higher education.
Bantamweight fighter Holly Holm returned to Albuquerque over the weekend, but she didn’t bring along a victory belt. KOB-TV reports Holm lost a bout to Miesha Tate in the 5th round. Holm lost by submission. Just a few weeks ago Holm amazed everyone with her win over Rhonda Rousey to become the UFC bantamweight champion.
An attorney for political consultant Jay McCleskey says a grand jury has dropped its investigation of the top adviser to New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez. Attorney Paul Kennedy said Friday that an investigation into campaign finance activities by McCleskey has been terminated and that no related charges are forthcoming. Martinez issued a statement saying she was always confident that the complaints against McCleskey would be rejected and that she was glad the episode was over. Martinez previously acknowledged being questioned by federal agents in the probe of her top political adviser. McCleskey has been a consultant to Martinez since she began campaigning for governor in 2009. He has worked for other prominent Republicans in the state, including Republican Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry.
A Santa Fe adult nightclub owner has settled a lawsuit with a man whose leg was amputated after he was shot outside the club in 2011. The Santa Fe New Mexican says that Cheeks nightclub owner Elmo Montoya and Joe Corriz reached an out-of-court agreement. A jury trial had been set to begin this week in Corriz's personal injury lawsuit against Montoya. Attorneys for both parties declined to comment, saying the settlement was confidential. Authorities say Corriz and his cousin were shot during an August 2011 altercation in the club's parking lot. Corriz's injuries led to a leg amputation.
Miramax and El Rey Network have announced both will start production in Albuquerque on the third season of "From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series." The network says filmmaker and El Rey Network founder Robert Rodriguez will direct select episodes this season. The show begins shooting March 14. It is based on the 1996 Rodriguez-directed vampire film with the same name. Rodriguez says the network will take the series to "a whole new level." El Rey Network is a 24-hour English language network founded by Rodriguez.
San Juan County officials say they will be left holding the bag if New Mexico State Parks is allowed to stop patrolling thousands of acres around Navajo Lake. The Farmington Daily Times reports that officials are up in arms over a proposal to reduce the area overseen by parks personnel. Under the proposal, the San Juan County Sheriff's Office could potentially be forced to patrol 15,000 more acres of land by the end of the year. State Parks Deputy Director Toby Velasquez says there are not enough personnel to enforce such a large area.