No-shows in magistrate court have increased from 18 to 48 percent since ruling

The life of bail bondsmen in Gallup and other parts of the state has gotten a lot harder since a New Mexico Supreme Court decision last year made it easier for people who were arrested and were facing charges to get out on their own recognizance.

Gerald Madrid, a bail bondsman who operates out of Albuquerque and has a branch office in Gallup, said last week that ever since that decision came down, the number of cases where judges released someone on their own recognizance instead of placing them on bond has sharply increased to the point where it is difficult for a bail company to survive.

Madrid said he...

COYOTE CANYON, N.M. — Theresa Becenti-Aguilar wants to become a member of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, which, if successful, would make it the second time around for the Coyote Canyon native.

Becenti-Aguilar made the announcement to run last month.

“I believe that I can serve the people and I have proven that I am capable of serving the people,” Becenti-Aguilar said. “I am again ready to start the PRC job.”

Becenti-Aguilar grew up in Coyote Canyon, on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation, without electricity or running water, and was appointed to PRC in July 2010 by then Gov. Bill Richardson. She served out the remainder of a term that was started by Carol...

ALBUQUERQUE – Randy Payton, 35, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Churchrock, N.M., was sentenced March 8 in federal court in Albuquerque to 137 months in prison for his voluntary manslaughter conviction. Payton will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.

Payton was arrested on Oct. 19, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with killing a Navajo man on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley County on Oct. 14, 2016. According to the criminal complaint, Payton killed the victim by hitting and kicking him repeatedly during a fight. Payton subsequently was indicted on the same charge on Nov. 15, 2016.

On July 18...

On May 1, 2017, a tragic rollover crash happened on NM State Road 118 in Gallup. Two adults were killed and three children were seriously injured. The driver of the vehicle, Elijah King, was suspected of being drunk at the time of the crash. King was detained at the scene; however, he claimed another man was driving.

New Mexico State Police officers in Gallup responded and conducted an extensive investigation. Their efforts produced solid evidence showing that King was driving drunk at the time of the crash. This evidence later led to King’s conviction.

Immediately after the crash, NMSP officers obtained a blood draw from King, took pictures of his injuries, obtained some...