Murder trial: 911 call in Eunice played for jurors LOVINGTON — An emotional 911 call by Eunice resident Samantha Chance and a “love triangle” highlighted testimony Tuesday during the first-degree murder trial in the 2016 shooting death of 30-year-old Kasey Poole. Chance, now 26, was heard crying and sobbing as an emergency dispatcher tries to find out information about what …

‘Left lane’ law lands dozens of citations in Oklahoma OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma law forbidding motorists on four-lane highways to impede traffic by traveling in the left lane has resulted in dozens of citations since going into effect last year. Records obtained by The Oklahoman show that 60 people were cited for violating the “left lane” law during …

Hobbsan charged in 2017 arson incident The Hobbs Police Department have charged a Hobbs man with felony arson after a lab report by the State of New Mexico linked him to a March 2017 arson incident on East Clinton. Juan Nunez, 39, was arrested on a warrant Saturday by the Lea County Sheriff’s Office and charged with arson (more than …

OKLAHOMA CITY — After trying unsuccessfully for months to obtain lethal injection drugs, Oklahoma officials plan to use nitrogen gas to execute inmates once the state resumes using the death penalty, marking the first time a U.S. state would use the gas to carry out capital punishment. State Attorney General Mike Hunter and Department of Corrections Director Joe Allbaugh jointly …

N.M. woman accused of alleged jail smuggling attempt NEWS-SUN STAFF REPORT The Lea County Drug Task Force have charged a northern New Mexico woman after she allegedly tried to smuggle Suboxone strips into the Lea County Correctional Facility last fall. Trisha Apodaca, 28, of Edgewood, N.M., east of Albuquerque, was arrested Monday and charged with distribution of controlled substance and …

Hwy. 128 has 2nd fatal wreck within a week NEWS-SUN STAFF REPORT A southern Arkansas man died Monday morning after a two-vehicle crash on State Highway 128 in Lea County. It is the second fatal crash within a week on the state highway which travels east/westbound from the New Mexico-Texas state border, through Jal to N.M. 31 near Loving. At …

Hobbsan accused of more sex crimes A Hobbs man was arrested Wednesday on additional charges after two women reported he had sexually abused them when they were younger. He’s now facing multiple felonies stemming from allegations made by three victims. Rodolfo “Rudy” Garcia, 41, was charged with criminal sexual penetration, a first-degree felony; and two counts of criminal sexual contact …

Hobbsan pleads guilty in drug, weapons case A Hobbs man faces a potential 15-year prison sentence after pleading guilty Wednesday to federal drug and weapons related charges. Louis Garcia, 31, plead guilty at federal court in Las Cruces, to drug trafficking and firearms charges. Garcia entered the guilty plea under a plea agreement that recommends a 15-year prison sentence followed by …

Additional lawsuits eyed in priest sex abuse case Las Cruces attorney Connie Flores is planning additional lawsuits in the sex abuse case involving former St. Helena Catholic Church priest Ricardo Bauza on behalf of two ex-church employees. The lawsuits would involve issues like sexual harassment and retaliation. Earlier this month, two lawfirms — Flores, Tawney & Acosta P.C. of Las …

Jury deadlocked in murder trial of Puente LOVINGTON — Fifth Judicial District Judge Gary Clingman declared a mistrial Thursday afternoon in the murder trial of Hobbsan Joshua Puente regarding the April 2016 shooting of Hobbsan Darrell Griffin. The mistrial came after more than eight hours of deliberation that started Wednesday and ended Thursday after jurors couldn’t reach a verdict. Starting …