New Mexico

Amazon disputes report that Alexa called 911 during a domestic assault

Sheriff’s deputies in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, were crediting digital assistant Alexa on Monday with initiating a emergency call during a domestic assault–but it couldn’t have happened, according to a later statement by device-maker Amazon. Alexa doesn’t have the capability to call 911, according to a statement issued by Amazon.…

Jul 12, 2017 11:04 AM CDT

Justice Department probes alleged abuses on prison transport vans

The Justice Department has opened a preliminary investigation into allegations of abuse by the nation’s largest for-profit extradition company, according to a Colorado man who said he was recently contacted by the agency. Joseph Mondragon said he received a call within the past month from a man who identified himself…

Jun 8, 2017 11:17 AM CDT

New Mexico’s top court should acknowledge excessive PD workloads and craft remedy, ABA says

An amicus brief filed by the ABA says the New Mexico Supreme Court should acknowledge public defenders have excessive caseloads in Lea County and craft a remedy that considers lawyers’ ethical obligations.

Jun 6, 2017 11:12 AM CDT

Public defender is found in contempt for refusing cases; DA asks state supreme court to intervene

New Mexico’s chief public defender has been found in contempt of court and fined $5,000 for refusing to provide lawyers to represent criminal defendants in five cases because of his office’s high caseloads. Judge Gary Clingman of Lea County imposed a fine of $1,000 for each case, but said he…

Dec 1, 2016 2:16 PM CST

Officer has immunity for arresting teen for belching at school, 10th Circuit rules

A police officer who arrested an Albuquerque middle school student for repeatedly fake burping during gym class was entitled to qualified immunity, a federal appeals court has ruled. The Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (PDF) in the case of a 13-year-old student, “F.M.,” whose arrest was based…

Jul 29, 2016 8:50 AM CDT

New Mexico top court overturns conviction due to Skype testimony, warns judges about social media

The New Mexico Supreme Court is warning judges about the perils of social media in an opinion that nonetheless sidesteps whether the trial judge’s Facebook posts indicated bias. The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled (PDF) on June 20 that Truett Thomas was entitled to a new trial on a murder…

Jun 23, 2016 7:00 AM CDT

Flat fees for contract public defenders are not unconstitutional, New Mexico Supreme Court says

The Supreme Court of New Mexico ruled Thursday that the state is free to pay flat fees to attorneys contracted as public defenders, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. But Chief Justice Barbara Vigil wrote a separate concurrence to emphasize that the public defender system needs adequate funding if it…

Jun 6, 2016 6:45 AM CDT

Strange things occur at New Mexico courthouse, and a ghost is blamed

Some employees believe a ghost is responsible for unexplained activity at the Otero County Courthouse in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Some report seeing a ghost wearing a suit from the early 1900s, doors closing on their own, and items falling to the ground for no reason, KRQE News 13 reports. The…

May 27, 2016 6:15 AM CDT

New Mexico sues EPA, seeking cleanup of toxic mine spill and damages

Ordinarily, when there’s a dispute about claimed environmental damage due to corporate operations, it’s the Environmental Protection Agency that sues to get it cleaned up. But a lawsuit filed Monday by the state of New Mexico in federal court in Albuquerque names the EPA as a defendant, along with an…

May 24, 2016 1:00 PM CDT

Former mayor’s old Facebook page should be reopened, says judge, because it may have public info

The Facebook page of a former mayor is public record, says a New Mexico court. Now she needs to figure out how to reactivate the account, which has been shut down. “Hopefully everything is still there,” Stephen Thies, the Alamogordo City attorney, told the Santa Fe New Mexican. The city…

May 3, 2016 10:30 AM CDT

Suit claims judge secretly bugged courthouse and recorded conversations

A suspended New Mexico judge is accused in a lawsuit of secretly bugging multiple locations in the courthouse and recording hundreds of hours of private conversations. The suit filed on Friday claims suspended Aztec Magistrate Court Judge Connie Johnston placed the devices in more than a dozen locations, including an…

Mar 1, 2016 8:20 AM CST

Lawyer is acquitted in shooting of homeless man

An Albuquerque, New Mexico, lawyer was acquitted in a retrial on Monday in the shooting of a homeless man who entered his office. Jurors acquitted David “Chip” Venie after deliberating for about seven hours, report the Albuquerque Journal and KOB.com. Venie claimed he shot Stephen Biddinger in the leg in…

Feb 2, 2016 6:54 AM CST

Second trial starts for New Mexico lawyer accused of shooting homeless man who entered his office

Opening statements began today in the trial of an attorney accused of shooting a man in the leg for entering the attorney’s downtown Albuquerque office, KRQE reported Monday. David “Chip” Venie is accused of shooting Stephen Biddinger in the leg in August of 2012. Biddinger, who is homeless, stepped into…

Jan 26, 2016 3:45 PM CST

Defendant attacks prosecutor after conviction on sex-abuse charge

A New Mexico man faces new charges after attacking a prosecutor in a courtroom immediately following his conviction on a charge of criminal sexual contact of a minor under the age of 13. Michael T. Cox Jr., 31, can be seen on a courtroom video jumping out of his chair…

Jan 25, 2016 2:45 PM CST

Whistleblower suit says $24M settlement wasn’t enough, points finger at claimed Day Pitney conflicts

Hired to help New Mexico recoup money allegedly lost as a result of “pay to play” arrangements concerning state investments, the law firm Day Pitney negotiated a settlement of over $24 million from Wall Street financial institutions. But that amount was too low, a former state investment official contends in…

Nov 20, 2015 1:35 PM CST