Month: April 2010

Authorities have issued an Amber Alert for an abducted girl who may be headed to New Mexico. 23-year-old Jesse Calhoun of Quemado, New Mexico allegedly kidnapped 14-year-old Tiffany Olivia Garcia-Barnett. According to the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, the two may have been driving through Colorado Friday night.

The old stadium for America’s team is about to become a pile of dust and rubble. With the push of a button at 7 a.m. Sunday, more than a ton of dynamite will blow Texas Stadium into pieces. In about one minute, down will go the building that was home to the Dallas Cowboys during

Special Traffic Investigators with the El Paso Police Department said two men died in a pair of wrecks early Saturday morning. The deaths marked the continuation of a deadly trend that has seen six people die in traffic wrecks in the last five days. At about 4:23 Saturday morning, police officers responded to the 9600

A former Mexican law enforcement officer who became a drug informant for the United States has been freed from a federal detention center in New York. Guillermo Ramirez Peyro, also known as “Lalo,” won a legal victory last month when a Justice Department immigration board ruled against efforts to deport him to Mexico. The board

A new Associated Press article cites government sources claiming the infamous Sinaloa cartel now controls the drug smuggling routes throughout the Borderland. But experts agree there won’t be a noticeable change and the drug war in Juarez may not be over. “Our intelligence does not indicate the Sinaloa Cartel has taken over the Juarez corridor,

Spring is the perfect time for allergies to rear their ugly head in children and that’s why parents shouldn’t take them lightly. Dr. Lyndon Mansfield, an allergy specialist in El Paso, is trying to give kids a hand in the fight against allergies. “If you have a kid who snores, you have a kid who

The El Paso High School Tigers lost 5-1 against Humble Kingwood Park in the first semifinal game of the Texas State Soccer Championships. In the first half, Kingwood’s Juan Castillo scored off a corner kick to make 1-0 Kingwood. Minutes later, El Paso High’s Marco Cordova scored off an assist from Jose Moreno to make

The driver of a Mazda 626 involved in a powerful collision with a light pole in central El Paso walked away from the scene of the wreck but was later found by Border Patrol agents nearby, according to officials with the police department. Oscar Martinez, 44, of the 5300 block of Rosa, is facing charges

A man accused of trying to make a 13-year-old girl get inside his car was found to be in possession of pornographic material and condoms after he was arrested, according to officials with the Las Cruces Police Department. Joshua Chavez, 32, of the 1500 block of Corbett Avenue, is facing charges of Attempted Kidnapping and

Despite efforts by his defense team to delay the start of his trial, U.S. District Judge Frank Montalvo has ruled District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez competent of standing trial. Prosecutors have charged Sanchez with taking bribes in exchange for steering a contract during a bidding process. Local attorney, and former El Paso politician, Luther Jones, is

A police officer in Northeast El Paso checking up on a man stumbling as he walked through the 5700 block of Fairbanks ended up making a small drug bust. According to police officials, the police officer approached Christopher Long, 25, to see if he was okay. Long allegedly tried to hide a black baggie in

EL PASO, Texas – An east El Paso motorcyclist becomes the city’s 3rd fatality in as many days, as he crashes into the back of a pick-up truck. The collision happened shortly after early Thursday morning. Officers tell ABC-7 that 42-year old Octavio Nevarez was heading north on Joe Battle, near Pebble Hills, when he

The El Paso Police Department is trying to clarify any confusion about wireless devices stemming from the cell phone ban recently passed by City Council. According to El Paso Police, you can use your wireless communication device while stopped and off of the roadway. You can also use it if it is integrated with or

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico – Six drive-by shootings, within the course of a year, and the same East Las Cruces home targeted with every bullet. It’s a series of events believed to be connected with the death of 21-year-old Jacob Gutierrez. ABC-7 visited with the family, living each day in fear, whose home has been

Family and friends of a young mother killed on I-10 gathered to say goodbye. Twenty-five-year-old Karla Cerino died in a fiery wreck last week, just moments after helping her children out of a burning SUV. “She was my coffee buddy,” said relative Gilbert Morin. “When she entered the room, her laugh filled the house. She

It’s not everyday you get the opportunity to walk in someone else’s shoes, especially if they’re not wearing any. But that’s exactly what some schools and businesses are doing. “Barefeet. No shoes. One day without shoes. What it is is there are kids in Ethiopia that deal with this everyday,” said Jeff Gabbert, a sales

The Las Cruces Police Department says a fire that tore through a house Tuesday morning caused $55,000 in damage. The homeowner, in a call to dispatchers, said she had a candle that was lit, though at this time, authorities are saying the fire started due to an “undetermined accidental cause.” No one was hurt in

The El Paso Police Department is encouraging motorcycle riders to take a free safety course, offered every third Saturday each month. The police department is offering these courses in partnership with Edge Kawasaki and the EPPD’s Safe Communities. Certified instructors teach the courses, which are held at Edge Kawasaki at 10310 Montana. The course runs

Sixteen streets in El Paso will be worked on through the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program. It consists of installing traffic calming devices and related work at various streets city-wide. The primary objective is to improve public safety and decrease the risk of collisions by reducing speeding and traffic volumes on residential streets. Cost of the

A scorched South Las Cruces home displaced a family of four. Thee blaze broke out at 1918 Gladys Drive around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. With three cats trapped inside the burning home, resident Banan Elhajj says she couldn?t believe a neighbor she hardly knows risked his life trying to save her pets. “My bedroom window was

The touching story of a mother saving her children from a wreck before she burned to death has touched many in the El Paso community. Karla Cerino’s family is getting help from generous strangers. Her mother says she’s still in shock about the tragic way her daughter died. And while it’s still very difficult to

A 39-year-old Sunland Park woman became El Paso’s 16th traffic fatality Tuesday night. At about 11:36 p.m., Rebecca Villalobos, of the 4400 block of McNutt, was driving near the 2200 block of W. Paisano when she drifted towards the center median. Villalobos then over-corrected to the right which caused her to lose control of the

U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes led a three-day congressional delegation of senior members of Congress to Mexico City to meet with President Felipe Calderon and Mexican legislators, according to Reyes’ office. The delegation discussed ongoing efforts to reduce drug-related violence in Mexico, particularly in Ciudad Juarez. Reyes’ statement on the meeting is below: “Today, I returned

UTEP quarterback Trevor Vittatoe was set to return to spring football practice on Tuesday afternoon after his two week suspension but there was a hiccup in that plan. Vittatoe has to sit out the rest of spring because of an injury. The senior had minor surgery on his shoulder and he should be back in

Tim Floyd’s right-hand man at USC will join the new UTEP coach’s basketball staff, according to the UTEP Athletics Dept. Johnson was an assistant coach at USC for the past five years. According to Johnson’s USC bio, “Johnson served as former head coach Tim Floyd’s right-hand man, playing a key role in preparing the game

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists working at the El Paso port of entry found a disposable diaper filled with live plants. “People have smuggled items in diaper bags and baby car seats before but it is rare to find prohibited agricultural items concealed in a disposable diaper,” William Molaski, CBP El Paso Port

Tiger Woods is making his return to golf this week and at the same time, he’s projecting a new persona during his practice rounds at Augusta National in Georgia. Simple gestures such as a tip of the cap, a wave of the hand or a thank you toward someone wishing him well have gone a

The Cerino family has set up an account for Priscilla and Edgar. Donations can be made at any Wells Fargo bank, acct # 2986832786 or call the family at 915-502-7930. Karla Cerino died in a fiery SUV crash. She was able to save her two children before she died. The oldest child was flown to

The jumping balloon that went airborne with three children inside and came crashing down across a street and three houses over was owned by one of the child’s parents. A relative told ABC-7 there were two 6-year-olds and a 9-year-old inside the jumping balloon. One of the 6-year-olds is a boy identified by his relative

UTEP quarterback Trevor Vittatoe, wide receiver Pierce Hunter and offensive lineman Alex Solot will make their spring practice debut Tuesday afternoon. The trio missed the first six practices of spring football because they were suspended from the team for violating undisclosed team rules. The players were punished “through physical activity,” coach Mike Price said in