Crime Blog | Your filter to El Paso area police blotters and court dockets

Texas Tribune: Man holds record for witnessing most executions as chaplain

Rev. Carroll Pickett holds the world record for witnessing the most state executions as a chaplain. He saw 95 men die by lethal injection during his career as the death house chaplain.

In the years since he left the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Pickett has written a book and starred in an award-winning documentary that chronicled his work at the Walls Unit in Huntsville. He sat down with The Texas Tribune recently to talk about how he "seduced the emotions" of the condemned, why his views about the death penalty changed and how he now copes with all the death he has witnessed.

Read and watch the interview here.

EPPD hosts motorcyle safety courses

In light of a fatal motorcycle crash Saturday that took the life of a Fort Bliss soldier, El Paso police are reminding the public of their motorcycle safety classes.

The next classes have been scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 19, April 16, May 21 and June 18 at Edge Kawasaki, 10310 Montana.

The courses are free and open to the public.

 To sign up for the class, call Margaret Petrozza, the El Paso Police Department’s Traffic Safety Coordinator, at 564-7352, or Edge Kawasaki at 593-1024.

Police continue investigation of placenta found in La Llorona Park

From the Las Cruces Sun-News:

LAS CRUCES - Authorities want to make contact with a woman who gave birth in January and left her placenta near La Llorona Park.

A nursing student walking on the east side of the Rio Grande near the park discovered the placenta shortly after noon on Saturday, Jan. 29 and notified the police. Investigators and a U.S. Border Patrol cadaver dog searched the area where the tissue was found, in case a fetus or newborn baby had been dumped, but failed to find any other evidence.

General Genetics Corp., based at New Mexico State University, has determined that the placenta was from a newborn male, most likely of African or African-American ethnicity, the Las Cruces Police Department announced Thursday. Tests conducted at the state medical investigator's office found the placenta showed no signs of sickness and was from a near full-term or full-term birth.

Nothing indicates a crime was committed, but the Las Cruces Police Department would like to confirm the health and welfare of the birth-mother and her newborn and is asking for the public's assistance in identifying them.

Anyone with information that can help identify the woman is asked to call Las Cruces Police detectives at (575) 524-4222. Anyone who wishes to provide information and remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or send a tip via text message to LCTIPS (528477).

Friends of beating victim, officials ask for violence to stop

LAS CRUCES - In the aftermath of an attempted revenge shooting that killed an older man instead of its intended target, friends of an injured high schooler, as well as authorities, are urging peace and patience - and not further violence.

Three teens - who will be charged as adults - and a 23-year-old are in custody, charged with the first-degree murder of 57-year-old Julian Peña Sr. after they allegedly shot at least 10 rounds at his mobile home Monday night, fatally wounding him.

The four allegedly thought they were shooting at the home of a male known as "Tuna," who they believed had taken a bat to their friend the day before, 18-year-old Jerry Zamarripa, who remains on life support at University Medical Center in El Paso.

Read more here.

LC firefighters, police take to the ice for charity

From a Las Cruces Police Department press release:

Three Las Cruces police officers and two LCFD firefighters will participate in an amateur hockey tournament that benefits the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research.
 
The tournament begins Friday, Feb. 25, following the El Paso Rhinos hockey game, and runs through Sunday. All games are played at the Sierra Providence Center located near the El Paso County Coliseum at 4100 Paisano.
 
LCPD officers participating in the games will be Lt. Kerry Clements, Sgt. Roy Askins and Sgt. Kevin Renn. LCFD firefighters who are participating are Battalion Chief Bruce Brinkerhoff and Lt. Charles “Chuck” MacGregor.
 
The Las Cruces firefighters are playing alongside firefighters from other area departments. The firefighters will play following the Rhinos game at around 9:30 p.m. on Friday. The Las Cruces police officers, competing with officers from other law enforcement agencies in the border region, will take the ice following Saturday’s Rhinos game.
 
Law enforcement personnel from regional federal agencies make up the third team participating in the tourney.
 
The El Paso Rhinos host Boulder this weekend. Their games begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. The amateur games will be played following each Rhinos game.
 
A portion of each ticket sold to the Rhinos game will benefit the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
 
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation raises money for childhood cancer research through various events across the globe. Foundation volunteers are known to shave their heads in solidarity with children who typically lose their hair during cancer treatment.

El Paso Border Patrol releases year-end data

From a Border Patrol news release:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Wednesday released year-end data on its fiscal year 2010 operations – illustrating the agency’s success in securing the border and facilitating legitimate trade and travel through targeted operations, enhanced partnerships, and the unprecedented deployment of personnel, technology and infrastructure along America’s borders.

“First and foremost, we remain committed to protecting our nation as well as communities in west Texas and New Mexico,” according to Scott A. Luck, the newly appointed Chief Patrol Agent of the El Paso Sector. These figures for 2010 still indicate that we are making great strides in securing our borders while we facilitate the flow of goods and services across out international border,” he stated.

In FY 2010, CBP seized 4.1 million pounds of narcotics, including 880,000 pounds seized at ports of entry, 2.4 million pounds seized in between ports of entry, and 831,000 pounds seized by Air and Marine. Border Patrol apprehensions—a key indicator of illegal immigration—were 463,000, down 36 percent over the past two years and less than one third of what they were at their peak.

In support of CBP operations in FY 2010, and as a result of an effective defense-in-depth strategy, the El Paso Sector U.S. Border Patrol seized more than 70.4 million dollars in narcotics and apprehended 12,251 undocumented aliens, which illustrates a 90 percent decrease from fiscal year 2006.

Under this Administration, DHS has dedicated historic levels of personnel, technology, and resources to the Southwest border. CBP has more than doubled the size of the Border Patrol since 2004; quintupled the number of Border Liaison Officers working with their Mexican counterparts; doubled personnel assigned to Border Enforcement Security Task Forces; and began screening southbound rail and vehicle traffic for the illegal weapons and cash that are helping fuel the cartel violence in Mexico.

CBP has also deployed thousands of technology assets – including mobile surveillance units, thermal imaging systems, and large-and small-scale non-intrusive inspection equipment – along the border. For the first time, DHS unmanned aerial capabilities now cover the Southwest border all the way from California to Texas—providing critical aerial surveillance assistance to personnel on the ground.

During FY2010, CBP also increased its collaboration with federal, state, local, tribal, and international partners, including through its continued leadership of the Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats (ACTT)—a collaborative enforcement effort that leverages the capabilities and resources of federal, state, and local agencies in West Texas/New Mexico and the Government of Mexico (GOM) to combat individuals and criminal organizations that pose a threat to communities on both sides of the border.

Over the coming year, CBP will continue to deploy additional resources to the borders, including 1,000 new Border Patrol agents, 250 new CBP Officers, and two additional CBP unmanned aircraft systems funded under the Southwest border security supplemental legislation passed by Congress.

Missing Carlsbad man found dead

CARLSBAD — The local man who disappeared from his home on Feb. 11 has been found dead, Eddy County Sheriff's investigators said.

According to a news release from Capt. Jeff Zuniga, sheriff's officers located Louis Fanning, 72, at approximately 12:30 p.m. Monday.

Fanning and his vehicle were found approximately 1.75 miles north and slightly east of his Stormy Lane residence.

His body was found near his vehicle, said Zuniga

Read more here.

Courtesy photo

Las Cruces shooting victim dies after life support terminated

LAS CRUCES - A 57-year-old man has become the city's first homicide victim of the year.

Julian Peña, who was shot in the head at his home at Watson Lane Mobile Home Park around 7:30 p.m. Monday, was removed from life support overnight, his niece confirmed this morning.

University Medical Center in El Paso, where Peña had been listed last night in critical condition, has a policy of not making death announcements and could not confirm the death.

Read more here.

PIO named finalist in AMW competition

An El Paso County Sheriff’s spokesman has been named a finalist in the America’s Most Wanted All-Star competition.

Deputy Jesse Tovar, a 13-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, was nominated for creating the Manhunt Monday fugitive search program and for profiling Arturo Blanco, the man wanted for allegedly sexually assaulting an El Paso teen 15 years ago.

Tovar, who serves as one of the public information officers for the sheriff's office, is also a member of the sheriff's SWAT team.

Voting in the first phase of the competiton ends April 10. If Tovar advances to the finals, voting will begin April 21 and end on May 8. Tovar’s profile can be viewed here.

Las Cruces probationer charged with raping 3-year-old

LAS CRUCES - A 24-year-old on probation for armed robbery has been charged with raping a 3-year-old child.

A Doña Ana County grand jury on Thursday indicted Eric Gene Acosta on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual penetration of a child younger than 13 and one count of concealing his identity.

The little girl reported the alleged abuse the afternoon of Jan. 29, when she was picked up from her mother's house and told family she was in pain, according to court documents. Her aunt bathed her and, noticing irritation, asked who had hurt the girl, at which time the girl named Acosta.

Acosta allegedly threatened the little girl to "shut (up) and be quiet or he would spank her," court documents state.

Read more here.