Month: February 2014

An announcement Saturday by the El Paso Comic Con (EPCON) that actor/comedian Eddie Griffin will host one of its conventions in March has caused a bit of a stir with some fans. Some fans commented on the post on EPCON’s Facebook page that there’s no way Griffin could be in El Paso March 7-9 for

El Paso County Sheriff’s deputies are continuing their investigation in a field near the Rio Grandewhere two bodies found on Saturday. Officials tell ABC-7 they responded to a report of two bodies found a little before twelve Saturday afternoon. Once deputies arrived they called the department of crimes against persons and crime scene units to

A man wanted by the U.S. Marshal’s Service on federal charges is behind bars this morning after he barricaded himself inside an East Central El Paso hotel. El Paso County Sheriff’s Office got a tip that the wanted man, identified as Marco Antonio Morales, was at the hotel. When deputies arrived the suspect along with

A candidate running for the 77th district is criticizing her opponent in a new TV ad. But while many may think this is politics as usual, some say this ad is just unethical. Democrat Lyda Ness-Garica is running for State Representative of District 77, the seat held by Rep. Marisa Marquez, also a Democrat. In

Tucson baseball fans will get one more chance to see their old Triple-A baseball team – and they seem pretty excited about it. The El Paso Chihuahuas will play four games against the Reno Aces at Tucson’s Kino Stadium from April 11-14. The games were originally to open El Paso’s new ballpark but were moved

A QF-4 Drone crashed at about 9:08 a.m. Friday on White Sands National Monument, four to five miles off of Holloman Air Force Base’s Runway 22. The cause of the crash is unknown at this time, but is being investigated. The unmanned aircraft was conducting a routine training mission and the monument was closed in

The El Paso Chihuahuas opening homestand at its new ballpark has been moved from April 11 to April 28, the team’s owners announced early Friday morning. “While there was a possibility that the home opener could be played on April 11th, we want to ensure we can offer the quality ballpark experience that El Paso

An El Paso family was displaced early Friday morning after a fire destroyed part of their home on the 9100 block of Plymouth Drive in the lower valley. The El Paso Fire Department confirmed the fire started in the garage where a clothes dryer was located. Fire investigators determined the fire started under the dryer

A Missouri federal judge ruled this week that flashing headlights at fellow motorists to warn of speed traps is protected under freedom of speech. That has El Pasoan Jose Escobar reflecting about his own arrest in 2011. “I was jogging around my house and then there was a police truck there and I warned drivers

Feb. 11, 2014 Update: El Paso Police issued a warrant for 23-year old Aubrey Dale Woods for criminal attempted capital murder in the De Soto Hotel Downtown shooting incident Feb. 6 in which he allegedly fired a gun twice at a police officer. Police had previously released the wrong name to the media of the

Drivers have been able to bypass rush hour traffic with the Cesar Chavez Express Toll Lanes for nearly a month and are adapting quite well, according to the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority Executive Director Raymond Telles. “The response so far I think has been fairly positive in terms of people looking for tags,” Telles

Ervin Maier, who originally agreed to a murder trial on Wednesday morning, changed his mind in the afternoon and pleaded guilty to murder in 171st District Court. Maier, 82, was sentenced to five years in state prison and a $10,000 fine. According to defense attorney, Jim darnell, Maier changed his mind and pleaded guilty instead

Emergency response teams are responding to an operational emergency at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). 2:44 Feb. 5, 2014 Update: Personnel who were transported to a local hospital for possible smoke inhalation have been released Officials at WIPP are working on a plan for safe re-entry to the WIPP

The jury has reached a decision in the sentencing phase of the Christian Martinez trial, sentencing him to life in prison without parole Tuesday afternoon. The deliberations took over eight hours. Judge Gonzalo Garcia read the verdict at 3:15 p.m. Family members of Jovana and Amalia Florss confronted Martinez after he was sentenced. Prosecutor Bill

Construction crews are forced to pick up the pace as opening day for El Paso’s triple-A ballpark nears. MountainStar Sports Group, the owners of the El Paso Chihuahuas, maintain the team will play its first home game on April 11. The City’s project managers say they are only obligated to have the stadium ready-for-play “sometime

Voters in Doa Ana County continue a tradition of supporting Las Cruces Public Schools, approving a $65 million bond election Tuesday night. The Doa Ana County Clerk’s office gave ABC-7 preliminary, unofficial voting numbers: 4,537 voters were in favor of the bond; 1,259 voted against it. “This is really gratifying,” said Jo Galvan, the spokeswoman

The fate of Christian Martinez is in the hands of the jury to decide, after the prosecution and defense presented their closing arguments Tuesday. The jury deliberated for over five hours, but weren’t able to reach a verdict before being sequestered by Judge Gonzalo Garcia for the evening. In his closing arguments, prosecutor Bill Prasher

When El Paso’s City Council awards construction contracts they want to use local businesses that hire local residents.The policy is called “Hire El Paso First.” The question city council is trying to answer is: how do you define local business?Here are the options they considered in Tuesday’s meeting: Option one -The business’ headquarters must be

Hitmen with the Barrio Azteca gang at one point got training from the Zetas according to testimony Tuesday in the trial of an alleged gang leader charged with ordering the murders of three people linked to the U.S. Consulate in Juarez. The jury heard evidence Tuesday that included taped radio conversations between alleged hitmen involved

Dona Ana County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a Chaparral man wanted on charges of allegedly stealing scrap metal and vehicle parts. Lorenzo Cano, 20, of the 100 block of East Lisa in Chaparral, was arrested at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. On Dec. 20, 2013, a sheriff’s deputy noticed a group of men standing near a

An El Paso Police officer was taken to hospital after getting sick Tuesday morning while working a hazardous material situation in Northeast El Paso. The El Paso Fire Dept. Says the officer is expected to be OK. Shortly after 6:30 a.m. Emergency personnel responded to Dyer, near Sunrise Center, where a 55-gallon drum was in

The drilling and hammering could get even louder in downtown El Paso. The city’s engineering and construction department will hold a meeting to update residents on the ongoing construction to complete the stadium. Crews could soon begin working on a 24/7 schedule to meet the April deadline for opening day. “I feel like it’s going

The Housing Authority of the City of El Paso (HACEP) has released to ABC-7, free of charge, the employment contract and reimbursements for the last three years to its CEO. The documents reveal CEO Gerald Cichon has been reimbursed more than $68,000 for meals, travel and other expenses since January 2010. CONTEXT: In late January,

El Paso County will renew its annual $407,000 ambulance contract for three more years. Life Ambulance Services has worked for the county since 1984. But that was before areas like Socorro and Horizon incorporated. And during a recent sample — more than half of the county’s ambulance runs went to those two cities. Now the

Construction on Sun Metro’s new Brio stations has some businesses struggling to get customers through the door, according to business owners. There are 22 stations being built up and down Mesa with the work expected to be completed this July. Many of the Brio construction zones are in front of businesses and sometimes cut off

Anthony Cobos and his wife filed for Chapter 7 (liquidation) bankruptcy on Jan. 16, 2014, less than a month before he was scheduled to turn himself in to serve his federal prison sentence. In bankruptcy documents obtained by ABC-7 they list $740,000 in assets and more than $1 million in liabilities. Bankruptcy documents show the

Anthony Cobos made his first appearance in a New Mexico courtroom on Monday by teleconference on a charge of felony fraud, a second degree felony punishable by 9 years in prison. Magistrate Judge Beverly Singleman maintained his bond at $50,000 but changed it from a cash bond to a secured bond, meaning he must pay

Texas high schools have new football and basketball districts under new boundaries released Monday by the University Interscholastic League. The UIL realigns districts every two years based on enrollment figures, which can lead to shuffling of teams and a breakup of longtime district rivals. The districts take effect starting with the 2014 high school football

It has been nearly four years since an El Paso couple was gunned down in Juarez, sparing the life of their baby daughter. The trial for Arturo Gallegos-Castrellon begins Monday at the federal courthouse. He is said to be responsible for the killings. Leslie Ann Enriquez, a U.S. Consulate employee in Juarez, her husband Arthur

A Las Cruces hotel clerk is recovering after police say he was shot by robbers. The incident happened early Saturday morning at the Econolodge hotel on the 2500 block of South Valley Dr. Police say the robbers forced the clerk into the hotel’s back office and shot him in the leg. They say the men