Las Vegas Optic from Las Vegas, New Mexico • Page 1

Established1879 Monday August 29, 1977 -t -v- ir Home Owned--Homejjiperated--Price: 15c Per Copy Back at school Schools opened today for enthusiastic and not- so-enthusiastic youngsters of Las Vegas. Chief of Police James Moore reminds drivers that laws relating to school zones, school buses and student crossings will be closely enforced; since they involve the lives of our young people Pictured above at work at Douglas Elementary School this morning, while their mothers fill our Head Start registration forms are (left to right) Brock Aragon, Bryon Martinez, David Vigil and Dtana Vigil. (Optic Photo by Eileen Hardgrave) N.M; (AP) Escaped mental patient Fred Patrick Creley, captured after he held police at bay for 30 hours with threats of setting off a homemade bomb, will remain in the Torrance County jail pending arraignment this week, authorities said. Fred Patrick Creley look two hostages during his flight from 'the State Forensic Hospital in Las Vegas to a ranch house near Moriarity, said Local state police. Ceferino Baca of Romeroville reported at 12:30 p.m.

Friday that both he and his pickup truck were taken at 10:30 that morning. The man was identified as Creley, police said. Baca said he was taken to Los Montoyas, let out, and tied up to watch his truck be driven away. Baca reported the incident as soon as he got loose from his bonds, said police. State Police later spotted Creley driving Baca's red 1974 Ford pickup on Interstate 40 east of Albuquerque and gave chase, following Baca to the Moriarity ranch house.

and st ate pum-e L.I M.J. Payne headed down to the farmhouse at 5 p.m. Saturday after Orner had told him in a telephone conversation that it was "commitment time" and that Creley should give himself up. But when Creley did not appear after an hour, and instead demanded over the telephone that his father to come to the farmhouse, state police and a special weapons and tactics squad surrounded the house and tired three canisters of tear gas. Police said Creley stumbled from the building, fell and was grabbed by officers.

They said he offered no resistance. Creley had spoken to his father E.I. Creley of Truth or Consequences, several times throughout the afternoon, and Orner had told him his father would meet him at the Torrance County jail in Estancia Orner said Creley's fear throughout the ordeal was that police sharpshooters around the house would kill him if he surrendered. "This is not surrender or die," Orner told him by telephone. "We showed you we wouldn't hurt you when you gave us the old man.

And you said after we gave you some time you'd turn yourself in to me and the two officers." Police handcuffed the shirtless Creley immediately after his capture, but took the cuffs off before taking him to Estancia. Creley sat in a patrol car in the farmyard for a few minutes while Orner talked to him and state police Capt. Frank Lucero bandaged a cut Creley had received on his nose as he ran from the house. State police Sgt. Donald McElroy told Creley police had not wanted to rush the house.

"We waited two days," he said But it getting dark and when you backed up on us, we had to go ahead," 6 Creley escaped from the state mental hospital in'Las Vegas, N.M Thursday night. A state policeman spotted him driving a pickup truck Friday afternoon on Interstate 40 east of Moriarty, heading toward Albuquerque, and began following him. Creley spotted the officer and fled up a freeway ramp, turned north and drove a mile down a dirt road to the ranch house, owned by Jerry Devers. The officer in pursuit radioed headquarters, which telephoned the house, giving Mrs. Devers time to get away as Creley came in the back door.

But Abrahams, a neighbor arrived at the ranch for a visit just as Creley drove up, and Creley grabbed the elderly man and took him into the house, police said Orner said Creley apparently struck Abrahams when he first captured him, but later developed affection for Abrahams and was more concerned about not hurting the old man than he was about himself." Orner praised Abrahams for remaining calm during the day-long ordeal. Abrahams, a heart patient, appeared shaken when police brought him to the trading post being used for a headquarters a mile from the farmhouse. Abraham was taken by ambulance' to an Albuquerque hospital for a checkup, and was released Saturday night. Police captured Creley, 38, about 6 p.m. Saturday and discovered the man's homemade bomb didn't exist.

State Corrections Secretary Ed Mahr said Sunday authorities would decide today what charges if any will be lodged against Creley. "An escapee would normally be returned to the state penitentiary But we're not dealing with an escapee here; we're dealing with an ill man," Mahr said. Torrance County sheriff's officers said Creley's father, who spoke by telephone several times to his son Saturday while Creley was holed up in a Moriarty area farmhouse visited him in his cell Sunday morning for an "emotional meeting." Creley had threatened to blow up himself and his 84-year-old hostage but finally released the hostage, Joe Abrahams, early Saturday afternoon after 24 hours of negotiations with state prison psychologist Marc Orner. But he continued to hold off police with threats to explode the bomb. "I can't say whether the guy had the explosives and was able to get rid of it in a couple hours' time or whether he never had it," said John Kynor of the Albuquerque Police Department explosives disposal unit after a search found boxes of ammunition but no explosive devise Kynor said earlier that there was "no doubt" Creley was knowledgeable about explosives Judge rules sufficient evidence to try Rio Arriba county SANTA FE (AP) A magistrate judge ruled there is sufficient evidence to bring to trial a former Rio Arriba County official charged with collecting travel money for trips he allegedly didn't take.

Magistrate Court Judge Eugene Romero's ruling against former Rio Arnba County commissioner David Chavez followed a preliminary hearing Saturday. A Rom ero also ruled that Archie by the county for travel. -It was also alleged that Chavez received travel money for trips to Taos-Rio Arriba County Community Commission complies with AG A KIT 1 A v-UIU- mission chairman, would stand trial on similar charges. The rulings followed hearings to determine if there was sufficient evidence to bring the men to trial The attorney general's office said the cases will be tried in district court. The case against Chavez was presented by Asst.

Atty. Gen. Steven Farber. Farber alleged Chavez was working full time cutting lumber at times when he was also being paid WLV Board to meet A majority of WLV school board members have jointly called an emergency board meeting to be held tomorrow at 5 p.m. in the high school library.

SANTA FE (AP) Attorney General Toney Anaya said today the decision of the Rio Arriba County Commission to return a truck bought from the highest bidder "seems to satisfy the request I made." Commission Chairman Juan Martinez released a letter to H.E. Leonard of Albuquerque, the successful bidder, that the truck will be returned "in order to avoid any further and unnecessary delays by the attorney general's office to tie this matter up in court for additional months." Anaya had advised the commission its purchase of (he flatbed truck from Leonard Motor Co. for $71,898 would be contrary to the state purchasing act. The low bid was $57,420 by Contractors' Equipment and Supply Co of Albuquerque. The commission declared all but Leonard's bid as not meeting specifications.

Anaya said the specifications were "so restrictive as to preclude competitive bidding County Attorney Joe Castellano responded that an essential point was the Leonard truck was delivered Aug. 12, the day after the bid was accepted. Castellano said the low bidder couldn't have delivered the full rig for 130 days Leasing a similar rig for that time would have cost up to $20,000 Castellano said. Anaya said today if the commission puts the truck to bid again "we would be totally satisfied official Action Program meetings on dates when no meetings were held. Chavez' attorney, David NorveJl, said the charge that Chavez was collecting county travel money at times he was cutting lumber could not be proven by testimony.

And he said Chavez had no regularly scheduled hours at the log cutting site. He added that Community Action Program members held "informal" meetings that weren't recorded in the program's minutes. Six individual incidents of falsely collecting travel money were cited by Farber. Jaramillo seeks contempt of court against commission SANTA FE (AP) The attorney for New Mexico Liquor Director Carlos Jaramillo said today he will seek a contempt of court citation against the Governor's Organized Crime Prevention Commission for receiving Jaramillo records from a Taos bank. Taos bankers disclosed they also turned over records of former Santa Fe County Democratic Chairman Johnny Vigil in response to crime commission subpoenas that linked Jaramillo, Vigil and JV's Palace, a former Santa Fe bar and night club operated by Vigil.

This was the first public disclosure of names other than Jaramillo in the commission's secret inquiry. Court records remain sealed and the commission has remained silent. Commission Director Harris Hartz acknowledged today "some records were brought to the commission" at its meeting Friday in Taos. But he said, "They were sealed. They have not Hartz said he conferred frequently about the matter with District Court Judge Bruce Kaufman of Santa Fe, who last week temporarily stayed return of secretly subpoenaed bank records until Sept.

6. The judge called a hearing for that date on motions by former Attorney General David Norvell and attorney William Marchiondo of Albuquerque that the subpoenas be voided. The attorneys, acting through a substitute in the hurried proceeding, argued the commission's new subpoena, powers are The persons whose records were sought weren't named in court. Norvell, who is Jararnillb's attorney in the matter, "I know that Centinel Bank of Taos turned over certain records of Carlos Jaramillo on Friday." Norvell said, "The difficulty we've had is we don't know.all the subpoenas that were issued. We knew of two in Santa Fe.

"The incredible part is Judge Kaufman ordered those subpoenas not be returnable and the crime commission not accept them and he stayed the proceedings. "It was in violation of the court order to accept them. I'm going to file a motion to have Harris Hartz held in contempt of court," Norvell said. Norvell said he didn't know if records other than those of the Taos bank have been delivered to the commission. responded, "I communicated several times daily with Judge Kaufman as to what the procedure should be.

So I'm confident what we did was in compliance with the judge's wishes." He said since the Kaufman order last week "we have not looked at anv records." President Ernest Romero of Centinel Bank of Taos told the Santa Fe New Mexican his bank received a crime commission subpoena for the records of "Johnny Vigil dba (doing business as) JV's Palace and Carlos Jaramillo." Romero said the bank turned over VigU records but had none for Jaramillo. LVTI registration this week Registration for those interested in attending day and night classes at Luna Vocational Technical Institute will be conducted today through Thursday at the Administration Building, President Samuel Vigil has announced. There are currently vacancies in the following career areas: Accounting, biomedical electronics technician, distributive education, marketing, fashion design, drafting, welding, hospitality education (culinary arts), agriculture, soil conservation-soil irrigation water manager program, small engine mechanics, automotive mechanics, building trades, office occupations electronics, medical laboratory technician, dental assistant program, medical stenography practical nursing, gas appliance technician and adult supportive education. Students participating in the programs from San Miguel, Mora, Guadalupe, Colfax and Harding counties may attend Luna VocaUonal Technical Institute on a tuition free basis For further information, contact the Office of F--" person or call or 483-5009 in E1 Jeantete of State Bank of Taos said his bank received the same subpoena He said the bank turned ver Jaramillo records but had none of Contacted by a newspaper in El Paso, where he now lives, Vigil said served nothing' Nobody has notified me about anything, and I certainly been hiding." i Vigil said, "It seems like thev could have contacted me and asked meA I aA to ai Asked if he had business with Jaramillo, Vigil said, or care to comment on anything because I don't know what thisfs'aH I By The Associated Press Partly cloudy through Tuesday with slight chance of afternoon and evening thundershowers. less than 15 miles per Vegas near 50 and mid 70s..