Defendant is one of 34 charged

ALBUQUERQUE – Robert Alan Rutledge, 34, of Alamogordo, pleaded guilty Sept. 6 in federal court in Las Cruces, to methamphetamine trafficking crime charges. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Rutledge will be sentenced to 48 months in prison followed, by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.

Rutledge was one of 34 individuals charged in December 2015 with federal and tribal drug offenses as the result of an 18-month multi-agency investigation led by the DEA and BIA into methamphetamine trafficking on the Mescalero Apache Reservation.

Eighteen defendants, including five members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe and 13 non-Natives...

ROOFER ESCAPES WITH MINOR INJURIES

By Bernie Dotson

Sun Correspondent

One person was injured in a roofing accident caused by a blowtorch that was too close to a gas line, officials said. Gallup Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Jesus Morales said construction workers were repairing one of two roofs at a home at 215 W. Lincoln Ave., when an explosion occurred at about 5:50 pm Sept. 7.

Workers were warming up tar to slather on the roof prior to laying shingles.


Antonio Castaneda, 41, a worker with Dominguez Construction of Gallup, was working atop the home. He said he was using the torch and it apparently got a little too close to the line.

“That was it,” he said. “It just got...

On Sept. 7, Cabinet Secretary Monique Jacobson of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department will hold a PullTogether event from 1 to 2 pm at Gallup High School's Kenneth Holloway Auditorium, located at 1055 Rico St.

CYFD aims to improve the quality of life for New Mexico children. The department provides prevention, intervention, rehabilitative, and after-care services to New Mexico children and their families.

The PullTogether event is geared to get New Mexicans involved in the well-being of its children. The event enlists New Mexicans — parents, families, teachers, young people, and community members — to help make sure children are safe, cared for, and ready to...

CIBOLA COUNTY – On Sept. 3 at 6:30 am, New Mexico State Police investigated a fatal crash involving an off-road vehicle.

According to a news release issued by NMSP Sgt. Elizabeth Armijo, the crash occurred near Bonita Canyon Road and NM State Road 53 mile marker 70, south of Grants.