Couple From New Mexico Compound Face Child Abuse Charges– Associated Press
A sheriff in New Mexico says new child abuse charges that can carry a penalty of life in prison have been filed against the father and step-mother of a 3-year-old boy whose body was found at a ramshackle compound.
Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe announced Friday that Siraj Ibn Wahhaj (see-DAHJ' IBN wah-HAJ') and his wife by Muslim faith Jany Leveille have been charged with child abuse resulting in death and conspiracy to commit child abuse.
Siraj Ibn Wahhaj is the father of Abdul-ghani Wahhaj (ahb-DOOL' GAH'-nee wah-HAJ'), whose remains were discovered inside an underground tunnel at a compound near the Colorado state line.
The defendants were among five adults and 11 children found living in squalor during an Aug. 3 raid on the compound.
An attorney for Leveille says she has not seen the charges and her client maintains her innocence. A lawyer for Siraj Ibn Wahhaj could not be immediately reached.
Couple Wins $74M For Baby's Brain Damage Caused In Delivery – Associated Press, KOB-TV
A jury has awarded a New Mexico couple $74 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit involving a son left with brain damage.
KOB-TV in Albuquerque reports the jury this month ruled that a women's health clinic in Hobbs, New Mexico, didn't properly follow Lorenza Botello's pregnancy and a doctor injured her baby during delivery.
According to the lawsuit, medical professionals from the Franklin, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems failed to monitor the baby's growth, who weighed 11½ pounds at birth.
Botello's attorney, Kent Buckingham says a doctor forced a vaginal birth despite the mother's plea for a cesarean section in 2012.
Buckingham says, the baby, Jonathon, suffered nerve and brain damage.
An attorney for Community Health Systems declined to comment.
New Mexico Man Attacked Victim With Meat Cleaver – Associated Press, Las Cruces Sun-News
A New Mexico man is facing charges after police said he used a meat cleaver in a fight over an eviction.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports Eric Bolivar was arrested Tuesday following an altercation with a man whose mother reportedly evicted Bolivar.
According to police, the victim called police after he saw the evicted man near his former residence.
Authorities say the man saw Bolivar inside the home and started taking pictures of him when Bolivar allegedly ran toward him with a meat cleaver. Police say a second man was struck in the hand by the 42-year-old Bolivar.
Bolivar is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
It is not known if Bolivar has an attorney.
New Lab Contractor To Pay New Mexico Gross Receipts Taxes – Associated Press, The Santa Fe New Mexican
A consortium taking over management of Los Alamos National Laboratory will pay gross receipts taxes, easing concerns that millions of dollars in revenue could evaporate if the group was deemed to have nonprofit status.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports a representative of Triad National Security LLC confirmed this week state officials responded to a recent inquiry saying they believed the tax would apply to Triad.
Nonprofits generally are exempt from gross receipts taxes on most business transactions.
The tax makes up a major source of revenue that the state collects and shares with local governments.
Triad is led by nonprofits — Texas A&M system, the University of California and the Battelle Memorial Institute.
Los Alamos County officials had previously said they could lose around $21 million annually and the state $23 million if Triad had nonprofit status.
Odds Of Shortage Increase For Vital River In US Southwest – Associated Press
U.S. officials say the chances of a shortage in the vital Colorado River system have risen to 57 percent in 2020.
A U.S. government report released Friday says the odds of a shortfall rose from 52 percent in May. Officials say less water flowed downstream this summer than expected.
The report estimates the amount of water that will be in Lake Mead, the river's biggest reservoir.
If the reservoir surface drops below 1,075 feet (330 meters) above sea level, some deliveries would be cut under agreements governing the system.
Arizona, Nevada and Mexico would have their shares reduced first in a shortage.
The river serves 40 million people and 6,300 square miles (16,300 square kilometers) of farmland in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming and Utah and Mexico.
Man Fatally Shot By Officers Fired First –Associated Press
Authorities say a homicide suspect fatally shot by Albuquerque police and New Mexico State Police officers had fired one shot at police before two officers returned fire, killing him.
Officials from the two police agencies on Friday released results of the investigation into the July 18 shooting death of 30-yer-old Arthur Lujan following a nine-hour standoff and unsuccessful negotiations for his surrender.
The officials said Lujan was sought in the killing of 33-year-old Anthony Sandoval, who provided the name of his attacker during a 911 call before he died.
The two officers involved in the exchange of gunfire were identified as Justin Jones of the Albuquerque Police Department and Michael Mariscal of the State Police.
Valencia Deputy Shoots 2 Suspects, 1 Fatally – Associated Press
The New Mexico State Police is investigating a shooting in which a Valencia County sheriff's deputy fatally shot two burglary suspects, one fatally.
The State Police says the incident occurred Thursday when deputies encountered two suspects after being dispatched to a residence because of a reported burglary in progress.
According to the State Police, a female suspect was fatally shot by a deputy who also shot a male suspect who was "successfully taken into custody by deputies."
The State Police said its investigation continues and the agency didn't immediately release the identities of those involved or provide additional information on what happened during the encounter.