- FORMER SHERIFF RELEASE DECLINED
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A judge has ruled that a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling will not result in an early prison release for former Rio Arriba County sheriff Tommy Rodella. Santa Fe New Mexican reported Friday that U.S. District Judge James Browning declined an early release request based on a change in a federal firearms law in June. The Supreme Court voted on an unrelated Texas robbery case that struck down a firearms statute that added seven years to Rodella's prison sentence. Browning says the part of the law that changed did not pertain to his case. Authorities say Rodella has five years left of a 10-year sentence stemming from a road-rage incident.
- NEVADA FUGITIVE-NEW MEXICO ARREST
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Authorities say a man sought in Reno, Nevada, in a shooting in which a stray bullet injured a teenage girl has been arrested in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Reno police say the U.S. Marshals Service located and arrested 31-year-old Carl Collins on Friday. Police said Collins is accused of shooting at another person involved in an altercation Monday as the other person drove away. According to police, the intended target wasn't hit but bullets struck an apartment building, wounding g a girl inside her residence. She was shot once and treated for a wound not considered life-threatening. Collins remained jailed Saturday on a fugitive warrant. It wasn't known whether he has an attorney who could comment on the allegations.
- ELECTION 2020-LEGISLATURE-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Legislative elections and ideological divisions among Democrats are looming over major initiatives backed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on gun safety, recreational marijuana and pension reform. It's the second straight year of unified Democratic control over the Statehouse and governor's office. Democrats reclaimed the governor's office from a Republican and picked up eight seats in the state House as a blue wave swept through politics in 2018 elections. This year, the entire House and Senate are up for election for the first time since President Donald Trump took office. Democrats including the the House speaker and Senate president are confronting primary challenges within a restive party.
- MURDER KIDNAPPING PLEA
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A 33-year-old man pleaded guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap in a case that involved the death of a man and the kidnapping of his friend, the Albuquerque Journal reported Friday. Chase Smothermon's guilty plea came in the August 2017 case that involved the death of 41-year-old John Soyka and kidnapping of Soyka's friend Matthew Tressler. Smothermon faces between 40 and 60 years in prison.
- CHACO CANYON-DRILLING
Lawmakers from the country's largest American Indian reservation may have thrown a wrinkle into efforts aimed at establishing a permanent buffer around Chaco Culture National Historical Park as New Mexico's congressional delegation, environmentalists and other tribes try to keep oil and gas development from getting closer to the World Heritage site. Navajo Nation delegates voted Thursday to support a buffer only half the size of the one proposed in legislation pending in Congress. They cited concerns from Navajo landowners who depend on oil and gas royalties and lease payments. The vote comes despite support from the tribe's president and individual Navajo communities for the more expansive protective zone.
- AP-US-SCIENTIST-CHARGED-NUCLEAR-LAB
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A scientist who once worked at a U.S. laboratory in New Mexico has pleaded guilty to lying about his involvement with a Chinese government technology program. Federal prosecutors said 67-year-old Turab Lookman entered his plea Friday in Albuquerque. He was initially indicted last year on three counts of making false statements. Lookman's attorney said previously that prosecutors failed to prove his client had accessed or downloaded any high-level security information before his job was terminated at the lab. Prosecutors say Lookman faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
- FRATERNITY BANNED-HAZING
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico State University has suspended a fraternity for five years after a student was injured in a shooting during an initiation event. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that Kappa Sigma fraternity held the November event at a campground in Cloudcroft. One member has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and negligent use of a deadly weapon while intoxicated. He told investigators he did not know the .40 caliber handgun was loaded when he shot the other student's leg. Officials say Kappa Sigma's New Mexico State charter has been revoked and the organization banned from campus through 2024.
- LEGAL SERVICES-ACCESS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — More New Mexico residents would have access to civil legal services under proposals approved by the state Supreme Court. The Chief Justice said Friday the court recognizes the state faces a significant gap in access to justice. She pointed to residents who cannot afford an attorney to resolve legal problems ranging from housing and financial disputes to family matters such as child custody and support. The proposals endorsed by the court include efforts to attract more out-of-state law school graduates to practice in New Mexico and possible financial incentives for attorneys who practice in rural or underserved communities.