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BREAKING: Fire set to cover up...

UPDATED: Jose Montoya and Gary Esquibel, the two fugitives being sought in connection with the murder and arson that occurred on 12th Street early Saturday morning, were both captured in Albuquerque Sunday afternoon. Las Vegas Police Chief Christian Montaño said that LVPD investigative work led to the arrests.

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The man whose body was discovered inside an apartment that burned early Saturday morning was shot in the head during a fight, and then the shooter and another man torched the apartment to cover up the crime.

Wife of ex-judge resigns

By Karl Moffatt
Las Vegas Optic

The wife of retired District Judge Eugenio Mathis has resigned her court clerk supervisor’s position with the 4th Judicial District, according to court records.

Michelle Pino-Mathis resigned for “personal reasons” effective April 26, according to a May 7 letter issued by the court in response to a public records request submitted by the Optic in March.

Party preceded fatal crash

By Karl Moffatt
Las Vegas Optic

Witnesses testifying in a preliminary hearing against Wayne Lovato on Monday claimed that the youth was speeding when he leaned over and tried to kiss a girl riding in the front passenger seat of his car before the fatal wreck that left two teens dead and several others injured.

“We were on the highway, Wayne leaned over to kiss Kayla (Esquibel) and that’s when we flipped,” said Reyes Rubio, 21, testifying during a lengthy hearing before juvenile court Judge Abigail Aragon on Monday.

Man stabbed on Church St.

Las Vegas Optic

A man was airlifted to a trauma center late Friday or early Saturday morning after he was stabbed on Church Street.

Details on that incident were sketchy as of the Optic’s press time.

Las Vegas Police Chief Christian Montaño said a male was stabbed in the chest and was airlifted to a trauma center.

Montaño said the man was in critical condition.

“We have some possible suspects on that one,” he said.

Names of the victim and the suspects weren’t immediately available.

FBI agent charged with wife’s...

The Associated Press

STAFFORD, Va. — An FBI agent in Stafford County is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of his estranged wife.

The Free Lance-Star  reports that Arthur “Art” Gonzales told dispatchers he killed 42-year-old Julia Serna Gonzales in self-defense when he says she attacked him with a knife. Both Gonzales and his wife had ties to Las Vegas.

The 43-year-old defendant surrendered to authorities on Friday and is being held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bail.

Young fugitive back behind bars

By Karl Moffatt
Las Vegas Optic

A 20-year-old man who fled town last summer after an overnight stay with a woman turned sour is back behind bars on charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault, child abuse, tampering with evidence and fleeing from police.

Rosendo Dimas, formerly of the 5900 block of Airport Road in Santa Fe, is being held in the San Miguel County Detention Center in lieu of a $50,000 cash bond after the long arm of the law found him at the Chavez County jail, where he was being held on an unrelated drug case, according to court records.

Mora: Lawyers lining up to help

Mora County officials say attorneys from around the country are lining up to help them after the commission adopted a controversial community rights ordinance that bans oil and gas extraction.

The ordinance is controversial because it seeks to restrict the rights that courts have said corporations enjoy. Mora County is believed to be the first county in the nation to adopt such an ordinance.

Mora sheriff faces more sanctions

By Karl Moffatt
Las Vegas Optic

In the wake of being charged with tampering with public records and criminal solicitation, embattled Mora County Sheriff Thomas Garza now faces further disciplinary action from the state Law Enforcement Academy board.

The same board suspended Garza’s law enforcement certification for 120 days and placed him on one year’s probation last July in a separate case that did not produce any criminal charges.

Ortiz breaks tie in favor of...

It wasn’t a vote that Mayor Alfonso Ortiz seemed happy with casting, but in the end, after councilors deadlocked in a 2-2 vote, Ortiz broke the tie in favor of moving forward with alcohol sales during Train Robbers games at Rodriguez Park.

Sitting in the audience during the vote was Ray Collins, who lost five families members in a DWI crash in 2006. Earlier in the meeting, during the public comment portion, Collins spoke against allowing beer sales at the park.

Gordon Jewelers closing its doors

A store that once served as Calvin Baker III’s playground will soon become a memory. Gordons, the iconic jewelry store on Douglas Avenue, will close its doors locally after a huge liquidation sale beginning Thursday. The sale is scheduled to last through Saturday.
“The decision was not easy. There was a lot of tears and a lot of thought put into it,” said Baker, whose grandfather and father ran Gordons before leaving it to him.

Copyright © 2013

The Las Vegas Optic is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in San Miguel County and Las Vegas, NM, and the surrounding area.