An arraignment is scheduled today on a new indictment filed against Rio Arriba County Sheriff Tommy Rodella. Rodella is expected to plead not guilty to deprivation of rights and brandishing a firearm connected to a case that authorities say left a motorist injured. The indictment by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Albuquerque filed last week nullifies a previous indictment. Rodella was indicted last month on conspiracy to violate a motorist's civil rights, falsifying arrest documents and for an unreasonable seizure during the March encounter. Robert Gorence, Rodella's attorney, says the new indictment shows the federal case against his client is weak. Gorence says the allegations never took place.
Two of the three companies competing for more than three-billion dollars to launch space tourism flights have ties to southern New Mexico's Spaceport America. The Albuquerque Journal reports that SpaceX, Boeing and a rocket system supplier for Virgin Galactic are vying for the lucrative contract to take astronauts to the International Space Station by 2017 in "space taxis." Spaceport is where Virgin Galactic plans to launch its first space-tourism flights at a cost of 200-thousand dollars per person. SpaceX also has a contract with Spaceport America. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is expected to announce the award of the contract later this month. NASA officials, however, say they may choose more than one company.
The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum has decided to sell three works by the American modernist painter to benefit its acquisitions fund. Among those to go on the auction block is one of O'Keeffe's most well-known flower paintings — Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1. The painting is expected to fetch somewhere between 10 million and 15 million-dollars when Sotheby's offers it as the centerpiece of its American art sale in New York in November. The other two works are "On the Old Santa Fe Road: and "Untitled (Skunk Cabbage)." They are expected to bring in three-point-seven million dollars combined. As for the larger-than-life white bloom of the jimson weed, it will be on view in Los Angeles and Hong Kong before returning to New York.
Santa Fe school officials have settled a lawsuit with a former high school student and her sister who claimed they were violated by body searches at their prom. The New Mexican reports that attorneys for Santa Fe Public Schools and Candice and Tiffany Herrera signed off September fourth on a 475-thousand dollar settlement. Candice Herrera, a senior during Capital High School's 2011 prom, says a security guard touched her breasts and bra. The guard then allegedly ordered Candice and 16-year-old Tiffany to spread their arms and legs and conducted body searches. School officials say the pat-down searches were necessary and were done the same way for boys and girls. The settlement does not include Associated Security Industries of New Mexico, the company hired to do the searches.
A serial burglar caught on cellphone video breaking into a Santa Fe home has been sentenced to prison. The New Mexican reported Friday that 20-year-old Dariush Esfandi received a four-and-a-half-year sentence as part of a plea deal. Esfandi pleaded guilty Thursday to attempted burglary and burglary in exchange for other charges being dropped. According to court documents, Esfandi was already on probation for home burglary and larceny convictions in January, when a homeowner filmed him trying to break into her house. Police arrested him a month later while he was allegedly leaving another home with several stolen items. He will get credit for time already served while awaiting trial. Following his sentence, he will remain on probation for six-and-a-half years.
Just don’t call it a ‘cheap date’: the City of Santa Fe has announced that it’s landed the filming of the ABC hit series, “The Bachelor,” this fall. The City announcing the as-yet un-finalized deal on Friday. The 100-thousand dollars it took to lure the series here is coming from the Lodger’s Tax funds and a matching State Tourism Department grant. Santa Fe Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Randy Randall said, quote: “This money isn’t coming out of the pockets of Santa Fe residents. It’s a combination of state tourism money and the lodger’s tax, which specifically applies only to folks staying in one of our hotels.”
Santa Fe Weather: Partly sunny today with the high, 77 and a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms. Tonight: mostly cloudy with a 40-percent chance for showers and thunderstorms, and the overnight low, 53. Tomorrow: Mostly sunny with a high of 77, and a 40-percent chance for showers and thunderstorms.