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Trout fishing in Lincoln County offers relief from Artesia June heat

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Trout fishing in Lincoln County offers relief from Artesia June heat

Information and photos provided by New Mexico Department of Wildlife

Triple-digit temperatures across the state have not had any effect on fishing in the Ruidoso area as cooler conditions and plenty of trout are calling anglers to the mountains.

Trout conditions at Alto Lake were particularly good using Kastmasters and worms.

Trout fishing at Bonito Lake was exceptionally good using worms along with Orange and Pink Glitter PowerBait and gold Kastmasters.

In eastern New Mexico at Sumner Lake, fishing for catfish was slow using shrimp.

In northern New Mexico at Abiquiu Lake, walleye fishing was good using white grub jigs.

Fishing for trout and tiger muskie was fair to good when using PowerBait.

Fishing for white bass was slow to fair using white slab spoons at Cochiti Lake. Northern pike fishing was fair to good using white slab spoons and five-inch green pumpkin shad. Fishing for crappie was good using Rapala crankbaits and fair using white slab spoons.

At Navajo Lake, fishing for smallmouth bass was fair to good using Ned rigs, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits. Fishing for northern pike was slow using deep-diving crankbaits.

Along the San Juan River, fishing for rainbow trout was incredibly good using size-22 princess nymphs in the quality waters.

At Fawn Lakes, fishing for trout was fair to good using worms.

Fishing for trout was very good at Hopewell Lake using small leeches, blue-winged olive flies, elk-hair caddis flies, stimulators and zebra midges.

This fishing report has been generated from the best information available at the time of publication.

What kind of crimes were committed in Artesia? Here are details from the Artesia Police Department

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What kind of crimes were committed in Artesia? Here are details from the Artesia Police Department

June 7

LOUD

12:39 am – Officer dispatched to 1000 block of W. Hermosa Dr. in reference to loud party.

SUSPICIOUS

1:34 am – Officer dispatched to 700 block of W. James Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

1:56 am – Officer dispatched to 200 block of W. Hermosa Dr. in reference to a suspicious activity.

INCORRIGIBLE

8:13 am – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to an incorrigible child.

THREATS

11:34 am – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 14th St. in reference to threats.

DISTURBANCE

12:06 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of W. Missouri Ave. in reference to a family disturbance.

ACCIDENT

2:27 pm – Officer dispatched to W. Richey Ave. and Bowman Dr. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

GRAFFITI

2:07 pm – Officer dispatched to S. 9th St. and W. Ray Ave. in reference to graffiti.

ALARM

5:29 pm – Officer dispatched to 1000 block of W. Hermosa Dr. in reference to a burglary alarm.

ACCIDENT

6:59 pm – Officer dispatched to N. 10th St. and W. Main St. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

WANTED

9:13 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of W.  Bush Ave. in reference to a wanted subject.

DOMESTIC

9:15 pm- Officer dispatched is 1500 block of W. Main St. in reference to verbal domestic.

LARCENY

9:47 pm – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of N. 1st St. in reference to larceny.

June 9

Arrest

Terry Wayne Burge arrested for contempt of court, failure to comply.

Salome Isiah Gurrola arrested for possession of a firearm by a felon, receiving stolen property, firearm.

Samantha Delgado arrested for contempt of court, failure to comply

GRAFFITI

9:52 am – Officer dispatched to N. 13th St. and W. JJ Clarke Dr.  in reference to graffiti.

ACCIDENT

10:30 am – Officer dispatched to 2000 block of W. Mann Ave. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

WELFARE

10:57 am- Officer dispatched to N. 10th St. and W. Mahone Dr. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

THREATS

1:42 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to threats.

BATTERY

2:46 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of W. Bowman Dr. in reference to battery.

DOMESTIC

3:18 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to domestic.

WELFARE

3:32 pm – Officer dispatched to 400 block of W. Logan Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

6:51 pm – Officer dispatched to 2200 block of W. Mann Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

7:41 pm – Officer dispatched to W. Compress Rd and Roswell Hwy in reference to the welfare to an adult.

UNWANTED

8:18 pm – Officer dispatched to 2500 block of Permian Pavilion in reference to an unwanted subject.

WANTED

8:36 pm – Officer dispatched to 3300 block of W. Main St. in reference to a wanted subject.

RECKLESS

9:21 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

June 10

Arrest

Sheena Eileen White arrested for larceny from all other.

WELFARE

1:04 am – Officer dispatched to 1200 block of S. 15th St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

SUSPICIOUS

4:32 am – Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. 1st St. in reference to a suspicious person.

WELFARE

7:45 am – Officer dispatched to 900 block of Champ Clark Dr. in reference to the welfare of a child.

9:16 am – Officer dispatched to W. Richey Ave. and La Cuesta Rd. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

12:48 pm – Officer dispatched to S. 11th St. and W. Sears Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

DISTURBANCE

1:21 pm – Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to a neighborly disturbance.

GRAFFITI

2:32 pm – Officer dispatched to N. 13th St. and W. JJ Clarke Dr. in reference to graffiti.

2:49 pm – Officer dispatched to N. 13th St. and W. JJ Clarke Dr. in reference to graffiti.

2:50 pm – Officer dispatched to N. 13th St. and W. JJ Clarke Dr. in reference to graffiti.

DOMESTIC

4:33 pm – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of S. 13th St. in reference to domestic.

5:09 pm – Officer dispatched to 1400 block of Champ Clark Ave. in reference to domestic.

ARMED SUBJECT

6:04 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to an armed subject.

WELFARE

7:14 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of N. 26th St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

June 11

MUSIC

3:11 am – Officer dispatched to 600 block of W. Bush in reference to loud music.

RECKLESS

7:10 am – Officer dispatched to S. 1st St. and E. Castleberry Rd. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

SHOTS FIRED

7:15 am – Officer dispatched to 800 block of W. Texas Ave. in reference to shots fired in the area.

DOMESTIC

1:07 pm – Officer dispatched to 100 block of N. 25th St. in reference to verbal domestic.

HARASSMENT

3:33 pm – Officer dispatched to 1300 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to harassment.

WELFARE

4:08 pm – Officer dispatched to 1000 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

ARMED SUBJECT

4:56 pm – Officer dispatched to 1000 block of W. Runyan Ave. in reference to an armed subject.

DISTURBANCE

5:15 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of S. 17th St. in reference top neighborly disturbance.

June 12

DOMESTIC

1:55 am – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to domestic.

SUSPICIOUS

8:19 am – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to suspicious trespass.

GRAFFITI

10:10 am – Officer dispatched to S. 22nd St. and W. Grand Ave. in reference to graffiti.

BURGLARY

1:34 pm – Officer dispatched to 1000 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to burglary.

UNWANTED

2:35 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of Ns. 13th St. in reference to an unwanted subject.

DISTURBANCE

7:28 pm – Officer dispatched to 900 block of S. 2nd St. in reference to disorderly disturbance.

WELFARE

7:30 am – Officer dispatched to 900 block of W. Alvarado Ave. in reference to the welfare of and adult.

SUSPICIOUS

9:12 pm – Officer dispatched to 400 block of W. Washington Ave. in reference to suspicious activity.

VANDAL

10:07 pm – Officer dispatched to 2000 block of W. Main St. in reference to vehicle vandal.

ALARM

11:12 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of N 26th St. in reference to a burglary alarm.

SUSPICIOUS

11:16 pm – Officer dispatched to 900 block of W. Grand Ave. in reference to suspicious activity.

June 13

Arrest

Veronica Ann Duran Gomez arrested for battery against a household member, criminal damage to property of household member.

Austin Christopher Bliss arrested for failure to pay fines.

Michael Philip Espinosa arrested for controlled substance, possession prohibited.

Stephanie Leann Rodriguez arrested for controlled substance possession prohibited other., non narcotic, possession, delivery, manufacturing of drug paraphernalia.

SUSPICIOUS

12:31 am – Officer dispatched to S. 7th St. and W. Quay Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

1:21 am – Officer dispatched to 600 block of N. 26th St. in reference to a suspicious person.

WELFARE

4:34 am – Officer dispatched to 1300 block of W. Merchant Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

June 15

Arrest

Jamie Guadalupe Cordova arrested for aggravated assault against a household member firearm.

BURGLARY

8:58 am – Officer dispatched to 500 block of N. 26th St. in reference to an auto burglary.

GRAFFITI

9:39 am – Officer dispatched to 900 block of S. 2nd St. in reference to graffiti.

9:42 am – Officer dispatched to 700 block of W. Centre Ave. in reference to graffiti.

9:43 am – Officer dispatched to 200 block of S. 3rd St. in reference to graffiti.

9:44 am – Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. 2nd St. in reference to graffiti.

WELFARE

11:49 am – Officer dispatched to 800 block of W. Dallas Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

11:54 am – Officer dispatched to 1700 block of S. 26th St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

SUSPICIOUS

12:15 pm – Officer dispatched to 800 block of W. Cannon Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

WELFARE

12:22 pm – Officer dispatched to 3300 block of W. Main St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

DISTURBANCE

12:25 pm – Officer dispatched to 100 block of W. Logan Ave. in reference to disorderly disturbance.

1:21 pm – Officer dispatched to 500 block of W. James Ave. in reference to neighborly disturbance.

GRAFFITI

1:02 pm – Officer dispatched to 1300 block of W. Dallas Ave. in reference to graffiti.

1:18 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to graffiti.

ACCIDENT

2:51 pm – Officer dispatched to S. 20th St. and W. Ray Ave. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

DISTURBANCE

3:34 pm – Officer dispatched to 400 block of N. 26th St. in reference to disturbance.

3:59 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to disturbance.

DOMESTIC

4:35 pm – Officer dispatched to 200 block of S. 13th St. in reference to verbal domestic.

4:35 pm – Officer dispatched to 3800 block of W. Missouri Ave. in reference to verbal domestic.

8:08 pm – Officer dispatched to 1200 block of W. Main St. in reference to verbal domestic.

ACCIDENT

8:39 pm – Officer dispatched to W. Main St. and N. 26th St. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

SUSPICIOUS

9:59 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of N. 6th St. in reference to a suspicious person.

Tom Wright: Remember the past to preserve the future

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Tom Wright: Remember the past to preserve the future

Tom Wright

 

Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part column series by Tom Wright, a regular contributor to El Rito Media, on the nation’s 250th anniversary.

“A nation that forgets its past has no future” is often attributed to Winston Churchill. Who is Winston Churchill? some may ask, and that is the problem. Fox News recently featured a series of spring-break interviews in which college-age beachgoers were asked questions about our nation’s founders. Who were John Adams, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and what did they do? What countries fought in World War II? When was it fought? Who won?

One answer came close: Samuel Adams brewed beer. The rest of the answers, or lack thereof, were jaw-dropping. It makes one wonder: What did these kids take a break from? Was it school? If so, what did they learn? Do we teach American history today? We do, but what do teachers teach and what knowledge constitutes a passing grade?

Those applying for U.S. citizenship must study and pass American history before taking the oath for citizenship. It appears from this random sampling that would-be Americans studying for their citizenship exam may know more American history than American college kids. The students’ parents should be ashamed and their teachers replaced. What has happened to education? Those in charge of our educators should also be ashamed and replaced. Many people in the world have much to celebrate, but what is the younger generation celebrating? Is it just this moment in time? Sadly, for many, yes. Their knowledge of history consists of the brief few years of their life and little before.

These kids are known as Gen Z or Zoomers. They grew up in the digital world and are said to have a sharp understanding of environmental and social issues, including social justice. Many Zoomers choose to remember what are called our past faults, like legalized slavery and the Indian Wars, but where is their perspective? Statues have been vandalized to remove recognition of both good and questionable, though historical, acts of celebrated heroes. There are those who accuse our past leaders of genocidal acts against the Native American population and even the Japanese with the atomic blasts on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended WWII. Among them are Holocaust deniers who do not believe the Nazis killed 8 million people. Many of these deniers live in Germany and believe the Holocaust is a fable, but this is an American story.

Those of us born in the Silent Generation (1928-1945) through the Gen Y generation (1981-1996) have a different perspective on life and history, and that perspective is a generational product based on cumulative learning. It would be difficult for today’s Zoomers to fully comprehend the need to personally be in the landing party on D-Day, 1944. Zoomers, with their limited cumulative education, could not fully fathom the crisis or the need for sacrifice. Fuel and food rationing were in place then but it is next to impossible for the current Gen Alpha (2010-2024) to catch up with the learning curve without fully understanding our history.

Enter parents, grandparents and elders. As a youth, I listened to a neighbor who fought in WWI. My parents lived through and had stories from the Great Depression. Other neighbors fought in WWII. What stories! America has suffered and prospered since her beginning. Founded on the concept of what we dare call religious liberty. Settled by those escaping religious persecution in England and Europe. Our Founding Fathers understood freedom was self-evident, a grant of God and not of man. That all men were created equal and granted unalienable rights by our Creator, which can not be taken by man. To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men and the powers of governments are granted at the consent of the governed.

From her founding, through all the vagaries and mistakes of growth, America has become the world power of prosperity, scientific achievement and security. She is a democratically formed constitutional republic. It is up to the following generations to study our history, embrace mistakes and celebrate achievements, learning in all occasions to preserve our freedom. Long may she live.

Tom Wright is a Santa Fe columnist and El Rito Media investor.

Pollard’s third girls basketball camp draws 100 players

JT Keith
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Pollard’s third girls basketball camp draws 100 players

Marshall Mecham 

Artesia girls basketball coach Candace Pollard held her third girls basketball camp June 15-17 at the Bulldog Pit.

The camp drew 100 players and was divided into two sessions: kindergartners through fifth-graders attended from 10 a.m. to noon, and sixth- through ninth-graders attended from 1 to 3 p.m. Each session had 50 campers.

Camp is divided by age group

Pollard said separating the campers by age helped coaches focus on player development.

“We split it up to get more isolation and one-on-one with the older girls,” Pollard said. “The young ones also didn’t feel as rushed, so that was nice.”

Players help with the coach’s drills

Pollard’s players also helped coach the camp, which she said benefited both the players and the campers.

“They get to coach the drills that we do as a team, and sometimes it teaches them the drills they may struggle with,” Pollard said. “It’s good for them to work with the little ones and feed into our program.”

Awards recognize campers

Awards were presented at the end of camp for both sessions. Pollard said choosing winners was difficult because of the number of participants and the improvement she saw.

“I think all the campers got better in some capacity, and it was really hard to figure out who was going to win the most improved and the MVP awards,” Pollard said. “By the end, they built their confidence up and sharpened their fundamentals.”

Kindergarten through fifth-grade award winners

Most Improved: Andi Elkins 

MVP: Bristol Sandman 

Hustle: Amelia Knowlton 

Layups: Ellie Elkins 

Hot Shot: Saydie Butler 

Free throws: Gulia Martini

Sixth- through ninth-grade award winners

Most Improved: Nora Clayton 

MVP: Genessi Astorga 

Hustle: Kalli Kirkpatrick 

Layups: Charley Stroud 

Three-pointers: Niyah Medrano 

Free throws: Charley Stroud

Marshall Mecham can be reached at (915) 232-1793 or on X @mecham_marshall 

Marshall Mecham is serving with the New Mexico Local News Fellowship Program, which places emerging journalists in newsrooms across New Mexico. Learn more at www.newmexicolocalnewsfellowships.org. 

Oliver suspends Lt. Gov. campaign cites health concerns in online statement

Michael Smith
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Oliver suspends Lt. Gov. campaign cites health concerns in online statement

Patrick Lohman

Source New Mexico

This story was originally published by Source New Mexico at sourcenm.com.

After winning the Democratic nomination to be New Mexico’s next lieutenant governor in a landslide primary election on June 2, incumbent Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver on Thursday announced she was dropping out of the race.

“This has been an incredibly difficult decision, but a necessary one,” she wrote on Facebook. “Recent changes to my health have caused my family and I to reflect on my commitments at home and to the people of our state — both of which I take extraordinarily seriously. Suspending my campaign will allow me to focus on my family while ensuring I can continue to fulfill my duties as secretary of state.”

In her social media statement, Toulouse Oliver thanked the New Mexicans who cast ballots in the June 2 primary election.

Toulouse Oliver first won election to be secretary of state in 2016. In the ensuing decade, she has often clashed with President Donald Trump, whose Department of Justice demanded she turn over the state’s voter list.

She also decried the Trump administration’s efforts last year to require voters to show proof of citizenship.

Toulouse Oliver did not immediately respond to Source NM’s request for comment.

In a statement, Democratic Party of New Mexico Communications Director Daniel Garcia said the party’s State Central Committee will select a replacement.

“The timeline for that process is being finalized and we will share more details as soon as they are available,” Garcia wrote. “New Mexicans should know that this is a secure, well-established process that has been used successfully for many years, including to fill the CD-1 vacancy in 2021 and nominees for HD-53 and SD-28 in 2024.”

State Sen. Harold Pope (D-Albuquerque), who ran against Toulouse Oliver in the June primary, told Source NM he is thinking of her and her family and wishes them well.

“I want to fill that position if she, indeed, is going to suspend her campaign,” he said. “The results didn’t happen the way I wanted them to in the primary…but with my experience in the Senate and what I stand for, I think I would be a great addition to the ticket.”

Former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who secured the Democratic nomination in the governor’s race and would have shared a ticket with Toulouse Oliver, in a statement wished her well.

“It is a courageous decision to run for office and it’s a decision all New Mexicans understand when you must step back to prioritize your family and health,” Haaland wrote. “Thank you to Maggie for your exceptional, longstanding work for New Mexico, your friendship and your courage.”

In a social media post following Toulouse Oliver’s announcement, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, whose second and final term ends this year, wrote that Toulouse Oliver “has served New Mexicans with great distinction as Secretary of State, and she would have made an excellent lieutenant governor. Maggie is a good friend and I know her decision to suspend her campaign today did not come easy. I respect that Maggie has chosen to prioritize her health and her family and I wish her all the best.”

Report: GPS ‘jamming’ behind Capitan medical plane crash that killed 4, ignited wildfire

Adrian Hedden
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Report: GPS ‘jamming’ behind Capitan medical plane crash that killed 4, ignited wildfire

Adrian Hedden
Ruidoso News
achedden@elritomedia.com

The crash that killed four crewmembers aboard a medical plane in Capitan last month could have resulted from radio jamming at nearby White Sands Missile Range.

A preliminary investigative report published June 17 by the National Transportation Safety Board showed the plane lost navigational capabilities minutes before crashing in the early morning hours of May 15 in the Capitan Wilderness area northeast of Ruidoso.

Ruidoso is about 60 miles east of White Sands Missile Range, which is operated by the U.S. Army. The Army did not respond to a request for comment.

The plane was a Generation Jets air ambulance dispatched by TransAero Medevac in Roswell to pick up a patient in Ruidoso for transport to a medical facility in Albuquerque.

Jamming, a tactic often employed by the military using powerful radio signals to overwhelm nearby communication systems and prevent outside entities from intercepting sensitive communications, was being used by the missile range during the medical plane’s flight, according to the safety board’s report.

The jamming led the pilot to attempt a landing without navigational instruments used to maintain proper altitude and trajectory, the report read.

The plane crashed in the Capitan Mountains during its decent to Sierra Blanca Regional Airport in Ruidoso, about 14 miles off its mark, read the report.

The preliminary report did not officially identify the cause of the crash. The investigation was ongoing, and a final report was expected in the coming months.

All four crewmembers were killed in the crash, which sparked a wildfire that burned for about a month in the area, growing to about 32,180 acres as of June 12 when the blaze was reportedly 100% contained.

The deceased crewmembers were Generation Jets pilots Keelan Clark and Ali Kawsara, and TransAero Medevac flight nurses Sarah Clark and Jamie Novick.

The flight path of medical plane that crashed in Capitan.

What follows is a compressed description of the minutes leading up to the crash, according to the preliminary investigative report by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The flight began at about 11:52 p.m. May 13, departing from the Roswell Air Center for the Sierra Blanca Regional Airport in Ruidoso to pick up a patient in need of transport to a medical facility in Albuquerque.

The plane quickly climbed to the assigned altitude of 12,000 feet, and ascended to 13,000 feet by about midnight while first heading west.

The crew reported to ground staff monitoring the flight that the excess altitude occurred because the plane temporarily lost global positioning satellite (GPS) capability, and that the altitude was being corrected.

At about 12:01 a.m., a request was made for the missile range to stop jamming. The plane turned north, heading toward Ruidoso.

Another request to stop jamming was made at about 12:07 a.m. and the flight crew reported about a minute later having “a visual on Ruidoso.” The pilot was cleared for a “visual landing” without navigational controls.

After flying north for about 20 miles, the plane rose to an altitude of 12,600 feet as GPS was again cut off by jamming. Meanwhile, ground crews reported that three other aircraft in the area lost GPS capabilities.

That was the last communication from the plane, which was observed turning southwest to begin landing at the Sierra Blanca Regional Airport.

Ground crew informed the missile range that it could resume jamming as the aircraft was descending to make a visual landing at about 12:10 a.m., the report read.

The plane descended to about 9,400 feet but then climbed back to 9,800 feet.

Five minutes later the plane struck the Capitan Mountains about 14 miles northeast of the airport, at a point where the mountains rise to a height of 10,201 feet.

The plane had ascended to 9,950 feet when the impact occurred.

All four crew members were declared dead at the scene.

Crash stokes wildfire

The crash ignited dead plant matter along the burn scare of the Peppin Fire, which ignited on May 18, 2004, and burned about 33,000 acres in the Capitan Wilderness Area before it was fully contained a month later.

The resulting Seven Cabins Fire led to evacuations days later in the area along New Mexico State Road 246 near Arabella, a rural community of about 200. The evacuation order was lifted June 3.

No evacuations were ordered as the fire burned in the villages of Capitan or Ruidoso.

Cloudcroft woman sentenced for husband’s murder after 2025 indictment

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Cloudcroft woman sentenced for husband’s murder after 2025 indictment

Wheeler Cowperthwaite
For the Artesia Daily Press

A Cloudcroft woman will spend 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder for killing her husband in 2025.

Deana Thetford, 61, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, tampering with evidence and forgery on June 4. The binding plea deal set her sentence at 18 years for killing Craig Thetford, 60. After accepting the plea, District Judge Stephen Ochoa sentenced.

According to audio log notes, Deana Thetford said she was sorry about “what happened” and accepted responsibility for killing her husband.

According to court records, Deana Thetford shot her husband three times, one bullet striking his heart, killing him, before wrapping his body in plastic and rugs and dragging it into their carport, where it stayed until investigators went to the house with a search warrant.

She was arrested in Texas on Aug. 2, 2025 and had been held without bail pending trial. An Otero County grand jury indicted her on the charges on Aug. 12, 2025.

What happened

On May 12, 2025, multiple family members called the Otero County Sheriff’s Office to report Craig Thetford missing, as they hadn’t talked to him since January. Three days later, a deputy went to his house and talked to Deana Thetford who said they were going through a divorce and claimed that he went to Mexico to fish with his new girlfriend. She also told police there was $1 milliom to $1.5 million in cash in the safes in their pool room, but she didn’t have the combination, Detective Bobbi Curtis wrote in an affidavit for an arrest warrant.

Deana Thetford later told deputies that her husband broke his phone and got a new phone and she didn’t know the number and that he went to Texas to take care of his mother. His sister denied that he did so when asked by police.

The deputy also noticed that there was a 4-5 foot deep hole in the front yard, and Deana Thetford told him she used a backhoe to dig the hole, supposedly to build a raised garden bed, Curtis wrote.

Police said Thetford confessed to shooting her husband while visiting with her daughter on May 13, 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The daughter told police Thetford said she got into a fight with her husband, the daughter’s stepfather, contending he pushed her down the stairs from the kitchen to the pool room and “she was blinded by rage and shot Craig multiple times.” She left him down there for two days before wrapping his body in a rug and plastic and used the tractor to pull his body out of the house and into the carport, Curtis wrote. It is unclear when Curtis talked to the daughter.

On June 17, 2025 investigators got a search warrant for the Thetfords’ house, where they found the man’s body in the carport, wrapped in plastic, blankets and drugs and covered him lime.

The pool room and stairs appeared to have been cleaned, according to court records.

In the safe, investigators found $84,200 in cash, multiple guns and ammunition. Investigators later learned that Deana Thetford bought a house in Seymour, Texas on Feb. 4, 2025, with a cash offer, after looking at properties a week prior, Curtis wrote.

“It was later learned Deana had given her truck to her son and purchased a Ford Mustang,” Curtis wrote. “It was also learned people had become curious of how suddenly Deana had money.”

A tip to Crime Stoppers in Albuquerque came in that Deana Thetford shot her husband “after he had ‘nudged’ her and she fell down the stairs,” Curtis wrote.

Deana Thetford engaged in a “prolonged effort to deceive family members and law enforcement,” read a news release from the 12th District Attorney’s Office. This included sending fake text messages and Facebook messages while impersonating her dead husband, forging records with his signature and lying about where he was, the release read.

The autopsy report showed he was shot three times, one bullet piercing his heart.

Jack Byers prepares for next step in baseball career

JT Keith
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Jack Byers prepares for next step in baseball career

Brook Stockberger 

Special to the Daily Press

LAS CRUCES — Jack Byers has work ahead before he reports to the University of Arizona.

Summer plans

The recent Artesia High School graduate is scheduled to:

  • Travel to Phoenix for a workout with scouts from the San Diego Padres organization.
  • Prepare to begin his college baseball career at Arizona this fall.

Byers, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-handed pitcher and third baseman, helped Artesia win the Class 4A state baseball title in 2025. Artesia reached the 4A semifinals this year before losing to Goddard.

Byers said he wants to arrive in Tucson, Arizona, ready for school and baseball.

He also plans to spend part of the summer resting before college begins.

“I don’t even have a summer job,” he said. “I’m going to hang out and play golf with my buddies.”

Byers also competed in golf for Artesia. He was part of an Artesia boys’ golf team that won a state championship this year.

All-star event

Byers played in the 49th Bob Ogas Annual All-Star Baseball Classic in Las Cruces earlier this month. He drove in multiple runs for the Green Team through the event’s first two games.

“He’s a great hitter too,” said Jackson Bickel, who coached Byers at Artesia.

Byers missed the third and final game of the event because he traveled to Phoenix for a workout with San Diego Padres scouts.

“There were about 14 other people. It was good to meet with the Padres’ people who are over there in Arizona,” Byers said. “I threw about 20 pitches to batters.”

Byers said the organization also put him through a movement assessment. He said he does not know whether he will be selected in the MLB Draft, scheduled for July 11-13, but said the workout was a good experience.

College commitment

For now, Byers said his focus is on preparing for Arizona, one of the top college baseball programs in the country.

Arizona has won four national championships in baseball.

“I am really looking forward to playing over there,” Byers said. 

David Grousnick: Jesus’ instructions for dangers and hardships

News Staff
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David Grousnick: Jesus’ instructions for dangers and hardships

David Grousnick

First Christian Church

Robert Frost’s first assignment for a class of teachers was to read “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” This was Mark Twain’s famous story about a frog that lost a jumping contest because he had been pumped full of quail shot.

When the class next assembled, they were mystified because they did not understand what this story had to do with a course in education.

Frost patiently explained to them that this particular story was about teachers. He said that there were two kinds of teachers. There was the kind that filled you with so much quail shot that you could not move and the kind that gave you a little prod on the behind so that you could jump to the skies.

Jesus’ instructions to his disciples prior to their first mission is recorded for us in Matthew 10:24-39. He has been telling them about all the dangers and hardships they may have to put up with and ends, by saying (in effect), “What do you expect? A disciple is not greater than his teacher. If the world gives me a bad time, it will give you one too” (Matthew 10:24-25).

So, what does Jesus do? Sell them life insurance? Give them bullet-proof vests? Teach them how to diffuse conflict? Hardly.

Instead, he says, “Don’t ever be afraid of your enemies and critics. Even though it’s not obvious now, the truth will come out finally. So, speak up; shout it out; stand and deliver” (10:26-27).

Oh, my! We don’t want to be heroes, especially not religious ones. It’s all we can do to get to church to worship and we’re supposed to be shouting the word of God from the housetops?

No way! We’re afraid.

But Jesus doesn’t quit. “Stop being afraid” (that’s the force of the verb); “stop being afraid” – not just once but always. “Stop being afraid of people who can kill the body but not the soul.”

The point is that people can hurt us only temporarily because life comes from God. Even if they kill us, God the author of life will raise us. “Don’t fear people; fear God” (the one who can kill both body and soul) (10:28).

Contrary to popular opinion, Jesus is saying that the voice of the people is not the voice of God. We worry way too much about what other people say or think of us and far too little about what God thinks of us.

We know this is true. We’ve heard it before. But it’s easier said than done…

A Sunday school teacher was examining her pupils after a series of lessons on God’s omnipotence. She asked: “Is there anything God can’t do?”

There was silence. Finally, one lad held up his hand. The teacher, disappointed that the lesson’s point had been missed, asked: “Well, just what is it that God can’t do.”

“Well,” replied the boy: “He can’t please everybody.”

Let this prayer be our prayer:

Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous,<n>teach me to serve you as you deserve,<n>to give and not to count the cost,<n>to fight and not heed the wounds,<n>to toil and not to seek for rest,<n>to labor and not to seek reward,<n>except that of knowing that I do your will.

– St. Ignatius of Loyola

Artesia residents celebrate family, community spirit at Oil Patch Market with lots of activities

News Staff
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Artesia residents celebrate family, community spirit at Oil Patch Market with lots of activities

Mike Smith
Artesia Daily Press
msmith@elritomedia.com

Artesia resident Megan Martin braved hot and humid conditions Saturday evening for a chance to sell freeze-dried treats and other goodies during the second Oil Patch Market of the season at the Derrick Floor downtown.

Martin set up shop beneath a canopy shade on the sidewalk facing Main Street, working her way through a line of customers waiting to try her homemade freeze-dried fruits and vegetables along with two varieties of pancake syrup.

“It’s something we love doing as a family,” said Martin, whose 14-year-old daughter Katelynn has worked with her mom at the Oil Patch Market since its inception in 2024.

The market, held the second Saturday of each month from May through December, was established as a venue for residents and visitors to find wholesome, small batch foods that reflect the flavors and spirit of southeastern New Mexico.

“We first started on Tuesday evening during the summer,” said Gabby Cronopulos, Oil Patch Market coordinator. “Last year we moved the market to Saturdays, which has worked really well for vendors and the community.”

For Martin, the market offers a chance to sell products featuring fruits and vegetables grown naturally with no genetic modifications or pesticides at her family farm, Martin Acres.

Freeze-drying the items is time-consuming, Martin said, but “removes the moisture from the food and makes it shelf stable for 25 years. It also maintains up to 95% of the nutrition for fruits and vegetables.”

Nae’s Dough owner and baker Nora Beaulieu found a spot on the grass near the Derrick Floor statue to sell her homemade sourdough baked goods, including bread, cinnamon rolls, muffins and scones.

No commercial yeast is used in her baking, Beaulieu said, and the sourdough is fermented through a prolonged process. The baking process takes 12 to 14 hours.

“It goes in the refrigerator on Friday. I start baking on Friday nights or Saturday mornings,” Beaulieu said.

Artesia Mayor Jeff Youtsey was on hand for the festivities, accompanying his grandkids who had a booth at the market.

“It is a fantastic event and what impresses me the most is the diversity of the vendors and visitors all coming together as one community,” Youtsey said. “The event has grown to 60-plus vendors. It amazes me to view the raw talent that some of the sellers express in their products.”

Cronopulos said next month’s market will be held Saturday, July 18, starting at 5:30 p.m.

“We moved it from the second Saturday due to scheduling conflicts,” she said, “but we are excited to host it in July and hope everyone can come out.”

Mike Smith can be followed on Instagram @mikesmithartesianm

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