Local news in brief Nov. 22

| The New Mexican and wire services

11/21/2008 - 11/22/08

A 40-year-old Santo Domingo man charged with vehicular homicide in connection with the death of a Tibetan scholar earlier this year was arrested Friday and taken to jail, police said.

Roque Lucero, who fled the scene of the accident April 29 and didn't show up last week for his arraignment on charges filed in the case, was arrested by Bureau of Indian Affairs officers at his girlfriend's house at San Felipe Pueblo on Friday, said Santa Fe Deputy Police Chief Benjie Montaño. He was later booked into the Santa Fe County jail.

Lucero allegedly was at the wheel of a pickup that slammed into a car carrying Lobsang Lhalungpa and his wife, Gisela Minke, on St. Michael's Drive. Witnesses have said Lucero was drunk at the time. Lhalungpa, a former official to the Dalai Lama and one of Santa Fe's Living Treasures, later died of his injuries.

Lucero is charged with vehicular homicide, causing great bodily injury by vehicle, failure to render aid and reckless driving.


Gov. Bill Richardson has named a deputy secretary at the New Mexico Department of Transportation, Gary Girón, as the department's new secretary.

The appointment requires confirmation by the Legislature, which convenes Jan. 20.

A week ago, Rhonda Faught announced she's retiring from her post as head of the department at the end of the year.

Girón has been at the DOT since 2006. Previously, he was deputy director of the state Personnel Office as well as the deputy secretary at the Department of Finance and Administration. He's also a licensed mental-health counselor and worked for 22 years in health care.


Santa Fe police arrested a 59-year-old man Friday who allegedly threw a rock at a woman holding a baby on the Dale Ball Trail earlier this week, police said.

Bruce Becker was spotted by Santa Fe police Officer Corrine Jones near the entrance to Hyde Park Estates off Hyde Park Road about 1:30 p.m., said Deputy Police Chief Benjie Montaño. Becker took a swing at the officer, who ducked and took him to the ground, he said.

Three nearby construction workers helped Jones keep Becker on the ground until backup officers arrived a few minutes later, Montaño said.

Becker was identified as the man who threw a softball-sized rock Tuesday evening at a woman holding a 4-month-old baby, hitting the woman in the forehead. The woman was hiking on the Dale Ball Trail at Sierra del Norte.

Montaño said the area homeowner's association had been concerned about Becker — a homeless man — because he'd lately been seen in people's yards using their water. He was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and child abuse.


Santa Fe's annual holiday tree lighting celebration and other holiday festivities have been modified this year to accommodate the ongoing renovation of the Plaza.

The city and the Downtown Merchants Association will present a small holiday celebration from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday. The event on the south side of the Plaza will include a 5 p.m. appearance by Santa Claus. Other parts of the celebration include a tree lighting, farolitos and holiday music.

The city's official holiday tree lighting, however, won't take place until Dec. 19, when most of the Plaza work will have been completed, according to a city announcement. In addition, the city's annual menorah lighting is scheduled for 3 to 5 p.m. Dec. 21 at the Railyard Plaza. The holiday ice sculpture display on the Plaza is planned for Dec. 22.



A 76-year-old California woman died — apparently of natural causes — aboard an Amtrak train shortly before it arrived in Lamy Thursday afternoon, according to Santa Fe County sheriff's investigators.

Hazel Michel of Duarte, Calif., was traveling to Kansas City, Mo., according to Undersheriff Robert Garcia. A train attendant reported that Michel appeared to be fine at the train's stop in Albuquerque, but that she was unresponsive about 10 minutes before arrival in Lamy. Medical personnel called to the train determined that Michel had died.

There were no signs of foul play, according to a sheriff's report.


LAS CRUCES — Doña Ana County sheriff's deputies have arrested four men on robbery and burglary charges in the shooting death of another man.

Steven Apodaca, 37, was shot once in the torso Monday night after several men forced their way into his home. He died before he could be airlifted to an El Paso hospital.

Sheriff's investigator Bo Nevarez says 34-year-old Jimmy Martinez, 28-year-old Gabriel Sanchez, 25-year-old Eric Ontiveros and 21-year-old Ernesto Pena Jr. are charged with armed robbery, aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary.

Authorities are seeking others in the case.


LAS CRUCES — Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez determined Friday a Hatch police officer was justified in fatally shooting a 32-year-old man during a confrontation in October.

Martinez said Hatch officer Mike Vega acted in defense of a Doña Ana County sheriff's deputy who also was at the scene.

She said an investigative task force — made up of members of several law enforcement agencies — reached the same conclusion.

Vega shot and killed Javier Soto, an El Paso native, on Oct. 12 in Hatch. Investigators had said Soto tried to attack Deputy Eric Lopez with a large rock. Lopez had tried to stop Soto with a Taser, but it had no effect.

That's when Vega fired.


The Environment Department's Food Safety Bureau has released a set of tips for safe cooking of turkey during the holidays. They are:

• Turkeys can be safely thawed in the refrigerator.

• Meat should be thawed in its original wrapper and placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

• Turkeys should not be thawed on the counter, because that increases the risk of bacteria growth on the meat.

• Meat requires about 24 hours of defrosting time for each five pounds. A-20 pound turkey takes four to five days to thaw in the refrigerator.

• Turkeys should be cooked at an oven temperature of 325 degrees to a final temperature of 180 degrees. Stuffing should reach a temperature of 165 degrees.

• Stuffing and other leftovers should not remain unrefrigerated for more than two hours.

For more information, visit the Department of Agriculture's Web site at www.fsis.usda.gov/Factsheets/Countdown_to_the_Holiday/index.asp.