Man arraigned on DWI charge after trying to flee

Bond was set Friday at $5,000 for a Santa Fe man arrested for the third time on a driving while intoxicated charge after the pickup he was driving allegedly smashed into a parked vehicle and he was wrestled to the ground by neighbors as he tried to flee.

Ruben Bustos, 53, faces numerous charges in the Tuesday incident near Paseo de Peralta and Fiesta street including drunken driving, driving on a suspended or revoked license, failing to report hitting a parked vehicle, reckless driving, no proof of insurance and expired registration plate.

He made his first appearance on the charges in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court Friday. He was last arrested on DWI charges on July 15, according to jail records.

Witnesses told investigators they saw Bustos crash into another truck on Fiesta and then try to flee on foot. Two men gave chase, caught him at Fiesta and Villeros streets, and held him until police arrived, according to court documents.

Bustos was treated for facial injuries at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, before being booked into Santa Fe County jail, investigators said.

Former Los Alamos lab worker accused of theft

LOS ALAMOS — A federal grand jury has indicted a former Los Alamos National Laboratory worker on two charges after he was accused of trying to take gold worth $2,000 from the lab.

Alex Maestas was indicted on charges of receiving or stealing the gold and taking nuclear material. Lab officials say the gold was contaminated by a small amount of radioactive material.

Maestas is to be arraigned Oct. 22 in Albuquerque. Authorities allege Maestas, who worked at the lab's plutonium processing facility, tried to carry out gold shavings in a plastic sandwich bag hidden in his fist.

Lab spokesman Jeff Berger said Friday the gold was detected because of the radioactivity and the employee was stopped trying to leave the work area March 24. He said there was no radioactive exposure.

Richardson meets with Dalai Lama

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has met with the Dalai Lama to discuss the situation in Tibet.

In a statement released late Friday by the governor's office, Richardson says he believes there's a way for Tibetans to have "genuine autonomy."

China accuses Tibet's exiled spiritual leader of seeking independence from Beijing and objects whenever he meets a foreign leader. The Dalai Lama, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, insists he seeks only more autonomy to preserve the Himalayan region's unique Buddhist culture. Richardson says they agreed the United States and other countries should continue pressing for a negotiated settlement for Tibet.

After the private meeting in Washington, D.C., the governor says he knows "the spirit of the Tibetan people remains strong."

St. Vincent postpones flu-shot clinic

Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center is postponing its adult flu shot clinic scheduled for Oct. 24. Hospital spokesman Arturo Delgado said the vaccine has not yet arrived because the manufacturer was busy producing doses of the H1N1 vaccine.

A flu-shot clinic at Pojoaque Primary Care, scheduled for Oct. 29, is also postponed.

Delgado said the pediatric vaccination clinic for seasonal flu will go on as scheduled from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 24 at Camino Entrada Pediatrics, 2590 Camino Entrada. There is also a clinic for the seasonal vaccine at Arroyo Chamiso Pediatrics, 2025 S. Galisteo St., 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 24.

Pediatric vaccinations are for children ages 6 months to age 18. They are offered on a first-come, first-served basis and both sites will offer drive-up service for the disabled.

Updates are available by calling 913-3361 and asking for the flu shot hot line (ext. 2147). The hot line will also have the latest information on the H1N1 vaccination availability. Information is also available online at www.stvin.org.

Man accused of killing 5 incompetent for trial

ALBUQUERQUE — A judge has ruled an Albuquerque man accused of killing five people in the city in a single day in 2005 remains incompetent to stand trial.

State District Judge Pat Murdoch ruled Friday that John Hyde — a diagnosed schizophrenic — was incompetent to contribute to his own defense and should remain in a state mental hospital in Las Vegas, N.M. Hyde was not present for the hearing.

Two years ago, Murdoch committed Hyde to 179 years in the mental institution after the shooting deaths of two police officers and three other people on Aug. 18, 2005. Police have said Hyde killed Department of Transportation worker Ben Lopez, motorcycle shop employees Garret Iverson and David Fisher, and police officers Michael King and Richard Smith.

Big Brothers Big Sisters honors volunteers

Paul C de Baca, the Pecos Independent School District's school board president, was recently recognized by Big Brothers Big Sisters as the school-based Big Brother of the Year. C de Baca mentors two students at Pecos Elementary School.

C de Baca said he got involved in mentoring because he likes to be around kids and believes this is an opportunity to help change lives. C de Baca was one of four mentors recognized by the organization on its 30th anniversary in Santa Fe. The others are: Leslie Montoya (school-based Big Sister of the Year); Amanda Montgomery (Big Sister of the Year); and Mario Ruiz (Big Brother of the Year).