Month: January 2015

For the first time, we are hearing from friends of the twin teenage sisters run over in a crosswalk in Las Cruces on Monday. Classmates from Alma D’Arte Charter School identify the girls involved in the hit-and-run as Alejandra and Anabel Dorado. The 16-year-old sophomores are studying flamenco at the art high school. Las Cruces

After four years running as the safest city of its size in the nation, El Paso will close out 2014 with an 80 percent increase in murders. But the jump from 11 murders in 2013 to 20 so far this year doesn’t mean the city is unsafe, analysts insist,and law enforcement officers say spillover crime

3:06: p.m. Update: The El Paso Police Department have officially released the names of those involved in a murder-suicide Wednesday. Police received a call at about 5:45 p.m. at an apartment in the 10700 block of Vista Del Sol where 26-year-old Jacqueline Valenzuela was found shot to death inside her apartment. Detectives identified 27-year-old Carlos

Former Las Cruces Police detective Michael Garcia on Monday was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was sentenced Monday for three counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor in the second degree and two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor in the second degree (person in position of authority). Ten years

Neon Desert Music Festival has big plans for its fifth anniversary next year. The festival will expand to three days on Memorial Day weekend in Downtown El Paso. Neon Desert will take place May 22-24. Three-day tickets are available only at www.neondesertmusicfestival.com for $75. No acts have been announced for the 2015 festival.

The 22-year-old man shot and killed by El Paso Police outside a hotel in October was on drugs at the time and was shot seven times, according to his autopsy. Marco Antonio Perez’s wounds included perforation of rib, lungs, and aorta in his torso and perforation of muscles and bone fractures of his lower extremities.

Some local businesses say holiday sales are down. One factor: The value of the peso has dropped significantly in recent weeks. Honking and holiday music fill the air as shoppers look for bargains from downtown merchants.. Business owners say they’re already feeling the effects of the peso’s devaluation. “There’s been very few customers,” said Elizabeth

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office sex offender and registration tracking unit is looking for convicted sex offender Belisario Domingo-Martinez. He was believed to be living in Socorro, Texas after failing to update his registration status, sheriff’s officials said. He was recently released from custody on May 28, 2014 and on Aug. 16, 2014, sheriff’s

El Paso County Commissioners on Monday selected Steven Norwood to offer a contract to as the County’s first Chief Administrator. The vote was unanimous. Norwood has 22 years of experience as City Manager, most recently in Round Rock, Texas and in Prescott, Arizona before that. Norwood will be paid $191,000 and will begin his tenure

A man arrested earlier this week for alleged animal abuse is not only spending time in jail but is now facing backlash from the community. Police say the arrest came after an investigation that began in September when they found an injured pit bull puppy at his home. Three months later they responded to another

ABC-7 was first to report on a macabre case of possible abuse to puppies. Friday, El Paso Police arrested and charged 61-year-old Carlos Fernandez with two counts of animal cruelty. The video his Kern Place neighbors shared with ABC-7 is disturbing. They suspected Fernandez was torturing and killing puppies, so one of them secretly recorded

A man suspected of fatally stabbing an Anthony restaurant employee who was walking home after his shift in April has turned himself in to authorities. Dona Ana County Sheriff’s officials say 20-year-old Mario Soto is being held in suspicion of first-degree murder. They say Soto was identified as a suspect in the case shortly after

The accused driver in a deadly Lower Valley drive-by shooting last month is behind bars. The complaint affidavit states 29-year-old Juan Avila was behind the wheel and 31-year-old Alejandro Leal was the alleged gunman. El Paso Police say Leal admits they targeted 38-year-old David Gomez because Gomez was collecting taxes on street drugs. Avila was

A man police suspect of identity theft was arrested Tuesday in Santa Fe and also is a registered sex offender wanted in Texas since 2009 for an alleged sex crime. Fingerprints positively identified him as Rafael Marquez Pieda, 43, of Amarillo, Texas. A warrant was issued for Pieda’s arrest in May 2009 where he was

The 81st Hyundai Sun Bowl is going to be a little bit country this year. A radio commercial for the bowl game officially announced country band Lonestar as the halftime entertainment for the Hyundai Sun Bowl on Dec. 27. A high school band was the halftime entertainment at last year’s Sun Bowl but previous Sun

EL Paso Police have released the mugshots of three teens arrested and charged with murder in the Oct. 30 shooting death of Aaron Ochoa. Those arrested and charged with murder are: 19-year-old Miguel Bygovtia, identified by police as an alleged shooter 17-year-old Gustavo Valencia, identified by police as an alleged shooter 18-year-old Armando Torres, identified

This year, University Medical Center CEO Jim Valenti received a nearly $120,000 bonus. He received the bonus even though the county hospital laid off dozens of employees and has had a financially difficult year. Now, the ABC-7 I-Team has uncovered the details of University Medical Center CEO Jim Valenti’s deferred compensation package, which could leave

Fred Loya announced he will be donating $5,000 to each of the following organizations: Child Crisis Center Make A Wish Foundation- North Texas Miracle League Child Grief Center Adopt a Senior Rebuilding El Paso Villa Maria Wounded Warriors- Ft. Bliss YMCA Annunciation House Loya is sharing a total of $50,000. He received the prize for

The new year marked changes for Texans that register voters. Texans who registers voters now must complete training and get deputized for each county in which they would like to register voters. As of Jan. 1, certifications for volunteer deputy registrars will need to be renewed. This means that those who want to continue registering

How would you like to have all your medical records at your fingertips? The HITECH Act signed into law in 2009 is still being implemented today, and you may soon have to log into a patient portal online so your doctor won’t be penalized. The law promises convenience and flexibility, whether you want it or

Christmas may be over but families that celebrate Three Kings Day help extend the holiday shopping season for retailers on both sides of the border. “We celebrate Three Kings Day more, “said Esmunda Talamantes, a mother of two. She and her husband were shopping for toys in El Paso. The Talamantes came to the border

A man is in jail for allegedly taking his 2-year-old daughter, wearing only a diaper, outside in below-freezing temperatures during a fight with his girlfriend. Doa Ana County sheriff’s deputies say Efrain Mejia, 35, was arguing with his girlfriend Jan. 3 when he grabbed the couple’s daughter who was only wearing a diaper and left

El Paso sheriff’s deputies are working a fatal rollover on eastbound Interstate 10 between the Eastlake on-ramp and the Horizon exit. The interstate was closed between both ramps due to the crash and traffic was being diverted to the access roads. According to EPSO’s public information officer, Chris Acosta, a Honda passenger car was heading

El Paso police say two men were stabbed outside a party in east El Paso early this morning. Investigators say a fight broke outside a home in the 11 thousand 300 block of Lake Loy. Two men were stabbed in the altercation. The victims were taken to an area hospitals with non life threatening injuries.

El Paso Electric is sending 16 crews to help the Oncor Electric DeliveryCompany with the outages in Odessa, Texas. Crews are expected to leave at noon Saturday. Crews will be helping Oncor deal with outages, downed power lines and other issues. Odessa and Midland have seen winter weather conditions cause some major issues in their