Month: November 2015

NM Gov. Martinez elected as Chair of Republican Governors Association

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez was elected as the Chair of the Republican Governors Association (RGA) for 2016 Thursday at the RGA’s annual conference in Las Vegas.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was elected as Vice Chairman.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam was the previous Chair of the RGA. He had replaced New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

“As this year’s gubernatorial elections proved, the RGA is the most effective political organization in the country and it is my honor to serve as RGA Chair for 2016,” said Governor Martinez in a news release from the RGA. “I am eager to build upon the RGA’s 2015 momentum with the 12 gubernatorial elections we have in 2016, each of which presents a real opportunity to elect or re-elect a Republican governor. All across America, Republican chief executives are solving the problems that Americans need fixed and I am proud to serve in this role to help elect more of these outstanding leaders.”

Republican governors from across the country meet at the conference each year to discuss policy and ways to establish more success for the party for the year.

“Governor Susana Martinez is one of the Republican Party’s best leaders and she is an outstanding choice to lead the RGA for the next year,” said Haslam. “She has made the tough decisions necessary to move New Mexico forward and knows what it takes to win in a blue state, a skill that will be vital to ensuring our governors and candidates have the resources they need to win in 2016. It has been an honor to serve with her as my Vice Chair for this past year and I look forward to the success she will achieve as the RGA’s Chair for 2016.”

Gov. Martinez spoke at a session moderated by Fox News anchor Bret Baier Wednesday, where she reaffirmed her stance that she will not seek a vice presidential nomination and talked briefly about a possible federal investigation to her top adviser, Jay McCleskey.

She has told KOB McCleskey has “done nothing wrong.”

The Democratic Governors Association was quick to rebuke the RGA on Gov. Martinez’s new role.

“It’s shocking the RGA would nominate a chair just weeks after learning about an ongoing FBI investigation into her political operation,” said Jared Leopold, DGA communications director, in a news release. “Susana Martinez campaigned on creating jobs and ending corruption, yet she has driven New Mexico’s economy into the ditch and is now linked to a federal investigation. We welcome Governor Martinez into this new role, and look forward to discussing the FBI investigation everywhere she campaigns in 2016.”

This story was originally published at KOB.com

Albuquerque sued over ‘policing for profit’ program

Two New Mexico state senators announced a lawsuit against the City of Albuquerque Wednesday in an effort to stop the civil forfeiture program.

The program allows law enforcement officials to seize and keep private property without a criminal conviction. The practice put New Mexico into the national spotlight last year when Las Cruces City Attorney Pete Connelly called civil forfeiture “a gold mine.” Continue reading

Suspect in APD officer’s shooting death indicted on federal weapons charges

The man accused of shooting and killing an Albuquerque police officer Oct. 21 was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday on four counts of violating federal firearms laws.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives filed a criminal complaint for the federal charges for Davon Lymon the day after the shooting. APD Officer Daniel Webster died from his injuries Oct. 29, nearly a week after the shooting.

Lymon is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to his previous felony convictions of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fraud and forgery.

Counts 1, 2 and 3 of the indictment charge Lymon with possessing a firearm in late May. The fourth count charges him with possessing the firearm and ammunition the night he allegedly shot Officer Webster.

Police reportedly recovered six cartridges in the area where the officer was shot. The complaint filed Oct. 22 states they also recovered a semiautomatic pistol from a vacant lot in the area where Lymon allegedly fled as he left the scene of the shooting.

Lymon faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison on each count. He remains in federal custody pending his trial date, which has yet to be set.

This story originally appeared at KOB.com

Gov. Martinez: Top advisor, others have ‘done nothing wrong’

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez told reporters Monday afternoon the FBI has interviewed her and others regarding an investigation into her top political advisor, Jay McCleskey, and allegations of fundraising violations.

“I’m confident that neither Jay nor anyone else has done anything wrong,” Gov. Martinez said. “And if they can’t beat him, they’re just going to smear him.” Continue reading

APD Officer Daniel Webster honored at memorial service

There was not a single empty seat inside the Kiva Auditorium on the day the community said goodbye to Albuquerque Police Officer Daniel Webster.

Tuesday, all 2,300 seats were filled with Officer Webster’s family, friends and fellow law enforcement officers. Even people who didn’t know Officer Webster attended his funeral service inside the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Webster, 47, was an officer with APD for almost nine years. He died last Thursday, eight days after he was shot during a traffic stop at Central Avenue and Eubank Boulevard.

As the service started, family pictures of Webster and his loved ones flashed on two video screens above the crowd. Fellow law enforcement officers saluted as the officer’s casket, draped by an American flag, was carried into the auditorium.

The best friend of Officer Webster’s widow delivered the eulogy, talking about the 20 years he spent in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper before joining the Albuquerque Police Department.

“Dan loved to be on his Harley, work in his garden, cook, play chess on his phone and play with his new puppy, Sage, a very high-energy German shepherd. Dan was a very private man and enjoyed his time home alone with his wife and their dogs. Lastly, Dan loved his job and always went to work with a smile,” Christy Miller said.

Officer Webster is survived by his three adult children, Rebecca, Danielle and Ashleigh, and his wife, Michelle Carlino-Webster, who is a Bernalillo County sheriff’s deputy.

Watch: Daughters read scriptures at Officer Webster’s funeral

“Dan thought he was Batman, and in a way, he really was,” Carlino-Webster said during the memorial service at the Kiva Auditorium in the Albuquerque Convention Center. “He really loved his job and protecting people.”

Carlino-Webster shared several stories about Webster, calling him a “goober,” a true man of servitude and a cop with the highest integrity.

Watch: Officer Webster’s wife delivers informal eulogy

“All of us have a job to do, we have to continue his legacy,” she said. “We can make a difference. I will be that voice for you, Dan. I will be your advocate.”

Carlino-Webster also thanked the Albuquerque community for its support, saying Officer Webster would have been overwhelmed.

Gov. Susana Martinez also spoke during the service and discussed the day Webster saved a baby’s life by performing CPR.

“Albuquerque’s superhero officer, Dan Webster, looking down on us today and every day that you put on that uniform—everyone in this building—when you put on that uniform, he is with you because he understands that just a simple citation, a simple incident can become deadly. And that is why we must pull together as a city and community in the name of Dan.”

Watch: Gov. Susana Martinez speaks at Officer Webster’s funeral

Albuquerque Police Chief Gorden Eden spoke of Webster’s service in the U.S. Army and with the department, saying he had a servant’s heart.

“We, the Albuquerque Police Department, were blessed the day he came to work for us. He demonstrated his leadership in the academy, he demonstrated an attitude of caring and courage and a word that I heard in the hospital from many, many people was he rescued them,” Eden said.

Watch: Chief Eden speaks at Officer Webster’s funeral

Watch: APD Officer Reads “Sheepdog” and “Warrior’s Creede”

So many people showed up for the funeral service that organizers had to set up an overflow roomwhere people could watch the service through a video feed.

Following the service, community members wearing blue lined the streets for the officer’s procession. The route was decorated with blue ribbons and banners on Monday and gifts were left at the Strong Thorne Chapel of Daniels Funeral Home.

The funeral procession for Officer Daniel Webster made a stop at the Albuquerque Police Department’s main substation for his final dispatch Tuesday.

Listen: Final dispatch call for Officer Webster

Military funeral honors were performed at Vista Verde Memorial Park in Rio Rancho. A handful of military planes and helicoptersperformed a flyover at the honors service.

View: Funeral Procession Route

Watch: KOB’s earlier coverage from 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

See photos from the service and procession below. On a mobile device? Click here.

With Elizabeth Reed. This story was originally published at KOB.com