SANTA FE – More than 40 years after the suit was first filed, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday announced a historic settlement intended to equitably resolve the long-running litigation that developed into the stipulated agreement commonly known as the Duran consent decree.

A preliminary agreement between the state and plaintiffs – approved Aug. 28 by the Hon. Kirtan Khalsa, a federal magistrate judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico – would ensure inmates are afforded constitutional protections as to humane treatment while incarcerated, relieve the state of New Mexico of considerable litigation costs relating to the consent decree into the...

McKinley County Sheriff Deputy Clayton Etsitty was on patrol Aug. 26 when he noticed a passenger car traveling eastbound near the intersection of Hubble Street and South Chino.

Etsitty called the vehicle, a Nissan Altima, into Metro Dispatch for a registration check on the license plate. Dispatch then advised that the license plate number matched those on a vehicle that had been reported stolen.

After following the suspect vehicle onto South Chino, Etsitty performed a high-risk traffic stop. He drew his department-issued firearm and told the driver to turn off the vehicle and step out. The driver did so, and was identified as Danielle Kinsel, 33, of Gallup.

Kinsel asked Etsitty was...

McKinley County Sheriff Deputy Roane Alan was running radar on U.S. Highway 491, Aug. 24 when he observed a silver Ford Taurus traveling south without a license plate.

Alan proceeded to follow the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop near the 1.5 mile marker.

After making contact with the driver, Nicole Brown, 35 of Gallup, Alan asked her to show him the vehicle documents. While she searched for them, Alan noted there were other occupants in the car who were not wearing seatbelts. Alan asked the passengers for their identification cards, at which point they become nervous.

Alan obtained identification details on the passengers and ran the info through Metro Dispatch. He was...

The New Mexico State Police was conducting an ENDWI Sobriety Checkpoint about 6:30 pm Aug. 16 on U.S. Highway 54 near milepost 239 in Guadalupe County, when a grey 2017 Ford Taurus passenger vehicle driven by Edward Briley, 40, of Pampa, Tex. entered the checkpoint.

Officers learned that Briley, who did not have a driver’s license on him, had a felony armed and dangerous warrant for probation violation in Texas.

Briley was arrested for his outstanding warrant.

Inside his vehicle, officers found 21 pounds of methamphetamine.

Briley was booked into the Guadalupe County Correctional Facility and charged with Trafficking a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute 1st Offense...