Gabrielle Arsiaga/News-Sun Lea County Sheriff Corey Helton is facing removal from the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission after he appeared in a TV ad with Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Ronchetti.  In the ad, Ronchetti is standing alongside four New Mexico sheriffs, one of those being Helton, and criticized Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s handling of crime related issues, including Grisham’s administration’s …

Gabrielle Arsiaga/News-Sun CARLSBAD — David Rochel, 50, of Hobbs, was arrested for allegedly stealing approximately $1.2 million worth of fuel. On Oct. 20 Rochel was arrested by Lea County Sheriff’s Office deputies and charged on warrants for six counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, all second-degree felonies; and theft of a credit card, a fourth-degree felony. According to …

Gabrielle Arsiaga/News-Sun An Oklahoma man was arrested for 11 felonies after he allegedly stole a vehicle from a rig site on Highway 128 and fled from officers, running into their vehicles several times and leading them on a high-speed chase. Gregory Anderson, 39, of Stillwater, Oklahoma, was arrested on Oct. 9 and charged on a warrant for unlawful taking of …

Gabrielle Arsiaga/News-Sun Jose Perales, 28, of Hobbs, was arrested after Hobbs police said he was found standing in the entry way of a home with alarms going off. He was arrested on Oct. 5 and charged on a warrant for burglary of a dwelling, a third-degree felony. Around 10 p.m., Sept. 29, Hobbs Police Department officers were dispatched to a …

Gabrielle Arsiaga/News-Sun In a rare turn of events, a 16-year-old Hobbs male allegedly broke into a home and stole items from the home — but later returned those items and left a note apologizing for committing the crime. “I am the idiot that broke into your house, and I am so sorry. I have no idea what I was thinking,” …

Gabrielle Arsiage/News-Sun Hobbs police say a Hobbs man was found with almost $100,000 worth of stolen items after he allegedly stole a vehicle from the 1400 block of North Turner Street. Rogelio Cervantes, 37, of Hobbs, was arrested on Sept. 15 on a warrant for unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony. A second man was also arrested …

Gabrielle Arsiaga/News-Sun Andres Sanchez, 26, of Eunice, was arrested on a litany of felony charges, after he allegedly stole a truck and ran from police. He was arrested on Sept. 21 and charged with unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, embezzlement, embezzlement of a motor vehicle, and criminal damage to property, all fourth-degree felonies; resisting evading or obstructing an officer …

Casino Incident In the evening of Thursday (Sept. 8) officers with the Hobbs Police Department responded to the Zia Park and Casino in reference to a female subject who had been possibly kidnapped. Officers learned a female subject was forced into a silver in color Chrysler 300, bearing temporary tag number 10377Z9 that expires on Oct 12, 2022. The Hobbs …

Gabrielle Arsiaga/News-Sun A Hobbs man threw a rock through a window at a convenience store and told officers “it was nothing personal, (I) just needed a big enough crime to go to jail and be taken out of Hobbs.” Roberto Rivera, 33, of Hobbs, was arrested on Sept. 4 and charged with criminal damage to property, a fourth-degree felony. On …

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Biden administration reached a legal settlement Tuesday that requires the government to reexamine potential climate damages from oil and gas leases put up for sale under the Trump administration on government land in Montana and North Dakota. Similar deals have been reached in recent weeks for lease sales covering thousands …