Latest news with #RioGrande
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Case dismissed against suspect in Albuquerque bosque fire
Jun. 27—Prosecutors have dismissed charges against a man accused of setting a bosque fire in Albuquerque last weekend after a grand jury found a lack of probable cause, according to documents filed in 2nd Judicial District Court on Friday. "The State of New Mexico, through its Deputy District Attorney ... dismissed this case because the Grand Jury did not find probable cause," according to the motion to dismiss. A spokesperson for the District Attorney's Office declined to comment. An Albuquerque police spokesperson also declined to comment. Police arrested Sean Taylor, 45, on Saturday, June 21, after a witness told officers that Taylor left the bosque with a lighter in his hand near the Alameda Bridge around the time a fire was set in the area. A pretrial detention motion was filed Wednesday to keep Taylor detained until trial. Judge David Murphy granted the motion. "The defendant created a substantial risk to the public by starting a fire in the Rio Grande bosque," according to the motion to detain. "There will be no assurances that the defendant does not go near the bosque or other areas at risk of fire." "Moreover, the defendant will have easy access to matches, lighters and other implements that can start a fire," the motion said. "The community will remain at risk if the defendant is released." Taylor denied starting the fire to police, telling them he had a lighter in his backpack, according to court records. Taylor told officers he saw a man dropping ashes from a piece of burnt paper. The blaze was one of four that happened between June 16 and 19 in the riverside forest in Albuquerque. Officials have said the fires were human-caused.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US Department of Defense expands militarised zone along Texas border
The US Department of Defense is significantly expanding a militarised zone along the southern border in Texas, granting troops the authority to detain individuals for potential federal prosecution on charges of trespassing within a national defence area. The Air Force announced on Monday the annexation of a winding 250-mile (400-kilometre) stretch of the border. This expansion comes amid a broader buildup of military forces initiated under President Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the border. This newly designated national defence area, running along the Rio Grande, spans two Texas counties and borders cities including Brownsville and McAllen. It will be treated as an extension of Joint Base San Antonio. The Air Force has stated its readiness to immediately install warning signs prohibiting entry into the zone. The military strategy was pioneered in April along a 170-mile (275-kilometer) stretch of the border in New Mexico and expanded to a swath of western Texas in May. Hunters, hikers and humanitarian aid groups fear that they will no longer have access. In the newest national defense area, military responsibilities include 'enhanced detection and monitoring' and "temporarily detaining trespassers until they are transferred to the appropriate law enforcement authorities,' the Air Force said in a news release. At least three people have been directly detained by troops in New Mexico for processing by Border Patrol. More than 1,400 immigrants have been charged with incursions into the national defense areas, a criminal misdemeanor punishable by up to 18 months in prison. Court challenges to the charges have met with mixed results. The militarized border zone is a counterpoint to the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles following protests over Trump's stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws. The troop deployments are testing the limits of the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the military from conducting civilian law enforcement on U.S. soil. Arrests at the border for illegal entry have decreased dramatically this year.
The Independent
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
US Department of Defense expands militarised zone along Texas border
The US Department of Defense is significantly expanding a militarised zone along the southern border in Texas, granting troops the authority to detain individuals for potential federal prosecution on charges of trespassing within a national defence area. The Air Force announced on Monday the annexation of a winding 250-mile (400-kilometre) stretch of the border. This expansion comes amid a broader buildup of military forces initiated under President Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the border. This newly designated national defence area, running along the Rio Grande, spans two Texas counties and borders cities including Brownsville and McAllen. It will be treated as an extension of Joint Base San Antonio. The Air Force has stated its readiness to immediately install warning signs prohibiting entry into the zone. The military strategy was pioneered in April along a 170-mile (275-kilometer) stretch of the border in New Mexico and expanded to a swath of western Texas in May. Hunters, hikers and humanitarian aid groups fear that they will no longer have access. In the newest national defense area, military responsibilities include 'enhanced detection and monitoring' and "temporarily detaining trespassers until they are transferred to the appropriate law enforcement authorities,' the Air Force said in a news release. At least three people have been directly detained by troops in New Mexico for processing by Border Patrol. More than 1,400 immigrants have been charged with incursions into the national defense areas, a criminal misdemeanor punishable by up to 18 months in prison. Court challenges to the charges have met with mixed results. The militarized border zone is a counterpoint to the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles following protests over Trump 's stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws. The troop deployments are testing the limits of the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the military from conducting civilian law enforcement on U.S. soil. Arrests at the border for illegal entry have decreased dramatically this year.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Los Lunas fires allegedly caused by tossed cigarette
Jun. 26—Authorities say the suspect in a devastating fire told an acquaintance he wanted to show his children how fast fire can spread. The man said he did so by flicking a lit cigarette into the Rio Grande bosque behind a stretch of homes. The result, according to Valencia County deputies, was the Cotton Fire 1, a blaze that jumped into an adjacent neighborhood and torched nearly a dozen homes. Hundreds were forced to flee with whatever belongings they could gather at a moment's notice. The suspect, 31-year-old Jacob LaHair, of Los Lunas, was taken into custody Wednesday and charged with one count of negligent arson and one count of criminal damage to property over $1,000. The charges are fourth-degree felonies. LaHair's attorney was not available for comment Thursday. A criminal complaint filed in Los Lunas Magistrate Court unveiled the first details as to how authorities believe the fire began. "Jacob LaHair advised (a witness) he started the fire by demonstrating to his children how fast cotton burns and proceeded to flick his cigarette onto the cotton located in the bosque," according to the criminal complaint. The witness told deputies that LaHair "was laughing and making jokes" about starting the blaze. Firefighters responded to a wildfire call around 2:36 p.m. in the riverside forest before the flames jumped to homes along Las Rosas Road, on the west side of the Rio Grande, south of the Main Street bridge. The initial fire was joined by another on Sunday, the Cotton Fire 2, which sparked on the opposite side of the river. The two blazes were eventually named the Desert Willow Complex Fire. On Tuesday, a man reported seeing LaHair walking away from the Cotton 1 Fire. LaHair told the man he was "trying to help stop the fire," the criminal complaint said. The man's wife took photos of LaHair as he left the area. Deputies received another report on Wednesday from a resident who said LaHair told them he lit the fire with a cigarette, according to the complaint. The Valencia County Sheriff's Office went to look for LaHair at a home where he had been staying. LaHair "was not being himself," a woman at the residence told deputies. The woman told deputies that LaHair said on Tuesday he started the fire by accident. The woman called LaHair and told him authorities wanted to question him about the fire. The complaint states that after an arson investigator got on the phone, LaHair hung up and didn't answer any calls. LaHair turned himself in to the Los Lunas Police Department on Wednesday.
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump administration expands military's role at the border to the southern tip of Texas
The Department of Defense is expanding a militarized zone along the southern U.S. border where troops are authorized to detain people who enter for possible federal prosecution on charges of trespassing in a national defense area. The Air Force on Monday announced the annexation of a serpentine 250-mile (400-kilometer) stretch of the border in Texas amid a buildup of military forces under President Trump 's declaration of a national emergency at the border. The newly designated national defense area along the Rio Grande spans two Texas counties and runs alongside cities, including Brownsville and McAllen. It will be treated as an extension of Joint Base San Antonio. The Air Force said it's prepared to install warning signs immediately against entry to the area. The military strategy was pioneered in April along a 170-mile (275-kilometer) stretch of the border in New Mexico and expanded to a swath of western Texas in May. Hunters, hikers and humanitarian aid groups fear that they will no longer have access. In the newest national defense area, military responsibilities include 'enhanced detection and monitoring' and "temporarily detaining trespassers until they are transferred to the appropriate law enforcement authorities,' the Air Force said in a news release. At least three people have been directly detained by troops in New Mexico for processing by Border Patrol. More than 1,400 immigrants have been charged with incursions into the national defense areas, a criminal misdemeanor punishable by up to 18 months in prison. Court challenges to the charges have met with mixed results. The militarized border zone is a counterpoint to the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles following protests over Trump's stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws. The troop deployments are testing the limits of the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the military from conducting civilian law enforcement on U.S. soil. Arrests at the border for illegal entry have decreased dramatically this year.
