From the Pecos Valley Newsroom

The Roswell Police Department and Roswell Fire Department invite the
public to join them at National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 3, at the Roswell Convention
Center parking lot (900 and 1000 blocks of North Richardson Avenue) from 5 to 9 p.m.
The Chaves County Sheriff’s Office, Dexter Police Department, Hagerman Police
Department and New Mexico State Police are also planning to be part of the annual event.
Also participating will be American Medical Response, Care Flight, New Mexico Department
of Game and Fish, New Mexico Department of Health, and the Fifth Judicial District
Attorney’s Office, which plans to bring a couple of its court-facility dogs.
The law enforcement, fire and medical agencies will have some of their vehicles and

equipment at the event for people to check out firsthand while they visit with the first-
responders. McGruff the Crime Dog is scheduled to make an appearance. There will be a

couple “jolly jumps” for kids to enjoy. Meanwhile, the event will feature free hot dogs and
drinks, as well as free pizza provided by Domino’s.
In addition, school supplies will be given away while supplies last. The school supplies are
for children in kindergarten through high school. A child must be present at National Night
Out to receive the school supplies. There will also be raffles and giveaways of Albertsons
and Target gift cards donated by the stores.
National Night Out began in 1984 as a way for communities across the country to build
relationships among citizens and police, fire and medical emergency responders, while also
raising crime-prevention awareness. Thousands of communities in all 50 states and U.S.
territories, as well as in Canada, hold local events each year. Most National Night Out events
are held on the first Tuesday in August, although some states hold events at other times.
RPD and RFD thank the following businesses and city entities for their financial and other
support of National Night Out in Roswell: Ooy’s House, Target, L&F Distributing, Sam’s

Club, Pioneer Bank, Albertsons (both local stores), Pepsi, Smith Realty, City of Roswell,
Roswell Recreation and Aquatic Center, and Roswell Parks and Recreation.
Those attending National Night Out can park in the parking lot on the west side of North
Richardson Avenue adjacent to DeBremond Stadium.

— Roswell Police Department Lt. Ron Smith recently graduated from the Command and Staff Leadership Program of the National Command and Staff College. Lt. Smith was
among 23 law enforcement commanders who graduated July 23 from the eight-week leadership education program. The program consisted of six weeks of online education followed
by two weeks of in-person classroom learning at the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office Training Center and Special Services Complex in Luling, La. The Louisiana location is one of several sites used by the National Command and Staff College, which is based in North Carolina.

Daniel Lopez was approved Thursday night (July 22) to fill the Roswell City Council Ward 4 seat recently vacated by George Peterson. Mayor Dennis Kintigh recommended Lopez for the position and the nine sitting members of the City Council unanimously granted approval during a special meeting of the Council.

Lopez is scheduled to be sworn into office today during a 2 p.m. ceremony at city hall. His first City Council meeting as a
council member will be Thursday (July 29) when the Council holds a special meeting to discuss and take action on budget matters.

Native Air 29, part of leading air medical service provider, Air Methods, has moved their base to Carlsbad Medical Center. According to spokesperson Maddie Noteboom, the new base location will continue to ensure residents in the southeast New Mexico region and surrounding areas will have access to air medical services–resulting in quicker response times for emergent and trauma situations. The decision to move the base to Carlsbad Medical Center comes after an extensive review of the local needs. Native Air has served Carlsbad for 20+ years and after recognizing the regional growth in this area, Air Methods and local community and hospital leaders identified the need for these lifesaving air medical services.

A second arrest has been made in this homicide case. Andrew Cylvino Cobos, 25, was arrested Tuesday (July 20) around 12:30 p.m. at the Chaves County Detention Center
where he was already incarcerated in an unrelated case. Cobos is charged in this homicide case with conspiracy to commit murder, accessory to murder, tampering with evidence, conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence, and felon in possession of a firearm. Cobos is accused of driving the alleged shooter, Robert Avila – while aware of Avila’s intentions of shooting the victim – to the house where it is believed Avila fatally shot the victim. Cobos is also accused of hiding the murder weapon after the shooting. He continues to be held without bond at the Chaves County Detention Center.

The Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force on Thursday (July 15) made a
significant seizure of illegal drugs and weapons. A task force investigation led agents to execute
three search warrants that yielded 4.25 pounds of methamphetamine, which has an estimated
street value of $50,000. Also seized were four firearms and a pair of electronic scales. Federal
charges are expected to be filed in this case. Local and federal agencies involved on the task force
are the Roswell Police Department, Chaves County Sheriff’s Office, Drug Enforcement
Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security
Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Roswell Poclie Department school supply drive continues through August 3rd. The drop off location is at 128 West 2nd Street.

A man and woman in Artesia are now facing federal charges for robbing a bank. A statement by the US Justice Department says 39 year-old Roman Andrew Poulsen and 40 year-old Lori Crape, believed to be Poulsen’s girlfriend, held up the Washington Federal Bank in Artesia on July 15th. The statement says the Poulsen will be charged with bank robbery, while Crape will be charged with the lesser crime of being an accessory after the fact. A detention hearing is scheduled for Thursday. As of now, both P=oulsen and Crape remain in the Eddy COunty Jail.

The state of New Mexico’s Vax 2 the Max Sweepstakes, a $10 million total cash sweepstakes funded by federal stimulus and intended to incentivize COVID-19 vaccinations, produced its next four prize winners Friday afternoon.

With $1 million at stake, four vaccinated New Mexicans — one from each public health region of the state — are each prospective winners of $250,000, as drawn at random by the New Mexico Lottery.

The Department of Health is verifying the identity, eligibility and vaccination status of each prospective awardee, in accordance with the sweepstakes rules, before declaring them official prize winners. The prospective winners will have three business days to come forward after being contacted by the Department of Health, per sweepstakes rules.

The four prospective winners are residents of Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Roswell, and Las Cruces, but names were not released.

The Roswell Air Center is a unique asset to a city of this size and the air center is responsible for a significant economic impact that benefits the city. This important facility offers travelers daily flights directly to and from Dallas/Fort Worth and Phoenix while serving as the site for many aviation-related businesses.

Roswell residents can learn more about the air center and its financial operating system by watching the fifth installment of the City of Roswell’s “Money Matters” video series. The latest video features Air Center Director Scott Stark discussing the many aspects of the air center and how the facility operates as one of the city’s Enterprise Funds.

The video can be viewed on the city’s Facebook page, as can the first four videos in the “Money Matters” series – an Enterprise Funds overview, a look at lodgers’ tax, a discussion of the city’s water and wastewater services, and a conversation about solid waste services.