Letters to the Editor - The Journal

‘Greatly pleased with Grisham’s wake-up call’

I was greatly pleased with New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham’s wake-up call with her emergency public health order on carried firearms. I was also very pleased to see the statements and faces of...

DATE: Sep 24, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Banning press’ from GOP event? ‘Hypocritical’

Matt Gaetz will appear at our local Republican gathering at Sky Ute Casino in Ignacio. Gaetz apparently is the headliner. Also, our elected U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert will also appear. I use t...

DATE: Sep 22, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘ILC altered wetlands, ignoring permitting’

Historically, the Carpenter Natural Area and, especially, the drainage have been overgrazed and abused. This resulted in extensive flooding. Attempts to control that flooding included dams, ...

DATE: Sep 20, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

A little ‘free advice for Republican friends’

Free advice for our Republican friends: Stop the squeal! Davitt M. Armstrong Oracle, Arizona ...

DATE: Sep 20, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Offset in some manner’ motorcycle rally

Now that the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally has left town for another year, I am curious if the city, county and/or rally organizers can and will take any action to mitigate the carbon emissi...

DATE: Sep 20, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Durango ‘must offer what retirees need’

There have been problems with obtaining post-surgery care upon discharge from Mercy Hospital for Medicare patients. These patients are discharged far from the time they recover from surgery ...

DATE: Sep 20, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Switched heating home from gas to electric’

I have switched heating my home from natural gas to electric. Atmos Energy more than doubled its prices last year and the reasons are all facility-related. The increase of the price of the g...

DATE: Sep 20, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Gender comments ‘real flat-earth thinking’

Perhaps a small silver lining was created when Moms for Liberty visited Durango, sponsored by La Plata County Republican Secretary Hope Scheppelman. Our peaceful “good commotion” protest adv...

DATE: Sep 17, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Conservative will stay away from MAGA event’

This Saturday, the La Plata County Lincoln Day Dinner will take place in Ignacio. Until recently, I was disinterested. The Republicans were conservatives. Now things are very different. The ...

DATE: Sep 17, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Herald ‘providing every side of news’

I’m writing this letter in response to your page 3A article and photo on Wednesday, “Protesters picket The Durango Herald,” in which La Plata County GOP protesters were boycotting what they ...

DATE: Sep 17, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Protest signs ‘Onion article in the making’

RE: “Protesters picket The Durango Herald.” These folks can’t stand our local paper, but can’t stop reading it! It’s like that joke about the two ladies sitting at dinner in a Catskills reso...

DATE: Sep 17, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Constitution Week: ‘Never forget!’

Starting today through Saturday is Constitution Week and this letter is a reminder for all American citizens to reread the Constitution. We take our freedoms so much for granted that it beho...

DATE: Sep 17, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Photos: Winter storm leaves over a foot of snow

‘Clown Sex Ed’ comes to Sunflower Theater in Cortez‘It’s an exploration of the very broken sex education system in America,’ actor saysSix years ago, two friends were reflecting on sex education and realized something: Their teachings – and teachers – were incredibly inadequate. From there, conversation compounded. They spoke of sex, relationships, pleasure, intimacy. The kinds of things “I wish I could have told my early 20s self or teenage self” to not feel shame around, specifically in regards to “sexual expression and pleasure,” said Tara Demmy, a co-writer and actor in the show. Demmy and Zachary Chiero, who acts and co-wrote the show with Demmy, were in Philadelphia at the time, in theater together, and brainstorming a new show idea. It was there that “Clown Sex Ed” was born. “It’s an exploration of the very broken sex education system in America and all the hilarious and cringey moments that is provided through the lens of these very naive clowns,” Chiero said. The clowns are not only naive, they’re innocent. Purposefully innocent. “I was studying the red-nose theatrical clown. and it’s ... very deeply connected to childhood,” Demmy said. “So wouldn’t it be great to have these clowns, these really innocent forms, interacting with four sets of teachers during the show.” Plus, the clowns resonate. “Tara and I are both clowns,” Chiero said. “Half the show is kind of a clown show, with these two clowns kind of exploring their sexuality. The other half of the show is sketches where we play different sex educators.” The pair plays parents, gym teachers, a couple of nine and even nuns.

Chiero remembered how, in a past show, they were performing as nuns while a thunderstorm roared outside. “The nuns are speaking about sex and then suddenly thunder comes in,” Chiero said. “It was the kind of thing you couldn’t plan, and it stopped the show for two minutes because people were laughing.” Over time, the show has changed and progressed. There’s updated ideas from “sexperts” and live music by Conor Sheehan, said Dallas Padoven, the rehearsal director and producer. Recently, “Clown Sex Ed” was in Durango, where all the actors now live. The show is coming to Cortez’s Sunflower Theater on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. It’s 75 minutes long, and tickets are $20. You can purchase tickets here. The recommended audience is 18 years and older, but it’s “probably OK” for a high school student to go with a parent. “This is sex ed meets circus meets sketch comedy meets live concert,” Demmy said. “It has a bunch of different elements.” “I’m not going to spoil anything,” Chiero said. “But there are moments in the show that are actually really going to touch you, and it’s going to make you a bit more introspective.”After the show, the audience can talk with the “sexperts” and/or submit anonymous questions about sex, intimacy and the like.

‘It’s an exploration of the very broken sex education system in America,’ actor says

Cortez sends off Panthers to state wrestling tournamentCoaches and wrestlers reflect on their journey to stateDespite the freezing temperatures that reddened noses and ears, faculty, students, and community members gathered at the front entrance of Montezuma-Cortez High School on Wednesday to send their best wishes to the seven wrestlers in a warm send-off.The team was escorted out by the Cortez Fire Protection District and the Cortez Police Department, which led an exciting chorus of sirens to give the Panthers a memorable trip to Denver for Colorado High School Wrestling Tournament at Ball Arena Thursday through Saturday.At the start of the season, M-CHS boys head wrestling coach Ryan Daves expressed his goal of guiding several athletes to the state tournament and boosting overall confidence. With the addition of the girls team, seven wrestlers have stepped up for the journey to Denver.

“The biggest thing we really tried to focus on this year is believing in yourself,” Daves said Wednesday morning at the send-off. “There’s a lot of tough kids all over the state, but we’re tough too. We put in the time, effort and hard work to get where we’re at now.”Ashton Orr, Bodie Stiegelmeyer, Rusty Snyder, Keaton Curleyhair, Paislee Mestas, CeJae Snyder, and Aubrey Rutherford earned a spot at the state competition after qualifying in regional tournaments last weekend. They will compete at the Ball Arena in Denver starting Thursday. This will be almost everyone’s first visit to the Arena, except for Stiegelmeyer, who qualified last year.The boys team said they were most excited about the competition and that it was all their goals to qualify for state.“It’s quite an accomplishment for me,” said Curleyhair, who is a sophomore, “The competition I’ll be seeing at state will help me propel forward to match that level of competition for the next seasons as well.”

The girls wrestling team made history simply by participating in its inaugural season. Now, CeJae Snyder, Mestas and Rutherford are making their mark as part of the first-time qualifiers.M-CHS girls head wrestling coach James Snyder said it had been an exciting season guiding the girls team and being part of that journey.“It’s been unbelievable fun this year. It has been way better than we ever expected,” said Coach Snyder on Wednesday morning. “We told them they made it to the big show, now we met that goal, and now our next goal is to win the next matches at state.”Mestas is also representing Mancos. As one of the most experienced wrestlers on the girls team, she stepped onto the mats at Montezuma-Cortez alongside CeJae Snyder, and both qualified for state as freshmen.Senior Aubrey Rutherford also helped lead the team and expressed her optimism for the upcoming competition.“I’m hoping we all do good this weekend,” Rutherford said. “We’re all good wrestlers, we fought for this moment right here, and hopefully a lot of us do good this weekend and fight hard for it.”Each team will begin state competition on Thursday and throughout the rest of the weekend in Denver.

Coaches and wrestlers reflect on their journey to state

FKT: Fort Lewis College students create documentary on fastest Durango Death RideIsaac Allred rode fastest known time in October

Not only did Fort Lewis College sophomore Isaac Allred complete the infamous 224-mile Durango Death Ride loop. He crushed the FKT (fastest known time) with the help of his friends and now his feat has been seen by thousands on YouTube thanks to his friend Donovan Riley’s documentary.Allred initially wasn’t worried about the FKT when he woke up before the sun rose on Oct. 5 intending to complete the Durango Death Ride. He knew his old Skyhawks cycling teammate Kellen Caldwell had done the ride and it destroyed him. Allred wanted to do the ride and provide Riley the opportunity to do a long-form documentary.After climbing 15,433 feet of elevation gain on a beautiful fall day, Allred crossed the finish line in Durango in 10 hours 24 minutes and 40 seconds. His friends and support team were there to celebrate and Riley’s camera was there to capture the end of an epic day; Allred crushed the FKT by over 40 minutes.“At the time I knew I could do a pretty good effort like that,” Allred said. “But now, after a pretty good off-season from the bike, I’m kind of shocked I actually made that happen. It's been a lot of time to reflect and I'm still pretty proud of myself for being able to pull that off.”The history of the Durango Death Ride goes back to 1979 when Bob Gregorio, working with Fort Lewis College at the time, organized the ride just for fun and was planned as a two-day ride. The next year, the riders returned and wanted more of a challenge. So they did it in one day and the ride became more and more legendary as the years passed.Beginning in North Durango, the route goes north through the Million Dollar Highway and up to Ridgway. After that, riders head south to Telluride and climb Lizard Head Pass. Then riders will rip through a 60-mile canyon into Dolores. Finally, riders head east through Mancos and back into Durango.FLC cycling coach Chad Cheeney said Allred’s accomplishment is impressive considering how young Allred is and how new Allred is to the area. Cheeney said the training knowledge, the history of the Durango Death Ride and the advances in equipment have helped young riders like Allred continue to go faster on the route.Allred is from Winona, Minnesota, and got into mountain biking in high school. He fell in love with the sport and during his sophomore year, he did a 100-mile ride and knew he wanted to get more into endurance riding. Then COVID-19 hit and Allred had some more time on his hands. He got a 20-year-old Trek road from his uncle and started going on more long road rides. Allred started enjoying the process and the training more. He realized he wanted to pursue cycling in college and found FLC. He first heard about the Durango Death Ride last year as a freshman and since then, it was always in the back of his mind.The perfect opportunity to do it presented itself in late August. Allred was out on a ride and Riley texted him asking him to shoot something.Riley, from Littleton, Colorado, began doing photography in middle school and got into mountain biking in high school. He started making edits and fell in love with those. After he came to FLC for the cycling team, Riley continued to make edits and worked with the college’s marketing department to put stuff out on social media.Allred and Riley met up and Riley made an Instagram reel of Allred riding his bike. Allred’s clothing sponsor, Champion System, saw the reel and loved it. They said they wanted more videos and asked about any ideas the guys had. Riley mentioned that he wanted to do a longer-form video instead of a reel. Allred was thinking about doing the Light Rim route in Moab, Utah, but Riley suggested the Durango Death Ride because there’d already been so many documentaries on the Light Rim.“I was looking for just a bigger project to work on,” Riley said. “I had done a lot of stuff having to do with cycling. I wanted to encapsulate something that was close to the community here because there are so many amazing cyclists that come out of this place … He (Allred) mentioned he wanted to try to do this ride. At first, he wasn't even looking into doing the FKT. I was trying to encapsulate how it was originally going to be mostly about the ride and how big of a deal it was, with it being this giant ride.”About a month before, the boys agreed to start preparing for the ride and got their friends Kip Sevenoff, Evan Dudley and Caruso Shanafelt to help. Sevenoff and Shanafelt were responsible for giving Allred nutrition during the ride and taking some photos and shots for the documentary. Dudley was driving the truck while Riley was in the back of the truck picking up rolling shots of Allred. Champion System also stepped in and contributed some funds to help the ride.The guys planned out what spots on the loop they wanted shots at using Google Earth. Riley and Dudley only did rolling shots where there was passing lanes to ensure safety and marked those areas down ahead of time using Google Earth.Allred was ready to go. He didn’t need any special training and the guys’ time frame for the ride fit in perfectly with his end-of-the-year race schedule. Allred spent a ton of hours on the bike in the previous winter and he stayed in Durango during the summer to continue training. The only thing Allred did was ride up Red Mountain Pass about two weeks before to do a little recon and test out his legs on one of the harder parts of the route.The night before the ride was scheduled, Allred was working at Tom’s Deli, ate a bunch of bread between washing dishes and went home. He didn’t have much trouble falling to sleep. The nerves hit him when he got up before the 6 a.m. start time. It was a cold fall morning and he couldn’t tell if he was shaking from the nerves or the cold.Allred started the Durango Death Ride but had some early trouble with his seat post and had to stop to adjust it around Coal Bank and Molas Pass. But his boys quickly realized that he was looking good early on.“With my fitness at the time, it felt like I had no real high end power, but I could motor for an entire day,” Allred said. “I was definitely staring at my Garmin quite a bit, because I had a live segment up so I could see exactly how close I was to the previous FKT. So I was staring at that, and at my power meter, making sure I wasn't going too hard, but also trying to keep the pace high enough to get a good time.”

After he got through the Coal Bank, Molas and Red Mountain Pass, Allred’s fitness allowed him to feel better as the hours went by. It also helped that he felt a tail wind for most of the ride. But there was one big problem: Neither Allred or his friends could confirm whether he was up or down on the FKT. Allred gave his friends a spreadsheet of all the times he wanted to be at the certain feed stations to see if he was either ahead or behind the FKT. The problem was he didn’t calculate for 18 minutes early in the ride. Therefore, about halfway through the ride, Allred and his buddies didn’t know if he was 19 minutes up on the FKT or down on it.“It was really not until Placerville going up Lizard Head that I was pretty confident that I was ahead,” Allred said. “But I tried to not focus on it too much and just push to my limit.”Allred pushed and pushed with his friends giving him nutrition and cheering him on. He had no solid food on the ride. He pushed through with sugar water in his bottle, which was ambitious because he had an upset stomach at the end of the ride.Once Allred got to Dolores, he really started to feel all he had put his body through. He didn’t know the rolling hills heading into Hesperus too well but he pushed until the final descent into Durango to finish the ride. His friends and support team were there for hugs as he realized what he had accomplished.Allred and the support crew were exhausted from the 10-hour day. They stood around at the finish for a little bit before they all went home to sleep. The last thing Allred remembered from that day was chugging chocolate milk as his friends drove away from his house. He estimates he burned between 9,000-10,000 calories.“It was so much fun having them there to support it,” Allred said about his friends. “Because I have never really had a ride like this, where I've had a ton of support like that … As the day wore on, I was pretty cooked by the end. Their enthusiasm really picked me up quite a bit. I was just so down in the dumps at a couple points. I'd ride past them and they'd all be screaming and I could not help but smile.”While Allred’s work was done, Riley’s work was just beginning. With a background in reels, Riley is very detail-oriented and was working at a snail’s pace on the beginning of the documentary. He realized he needed help and he got it from his boss at FLC, Shan Wells. Riley was worried about the flow of the plot points of the documentary; he didn’t want one point to be too long or another one to be too short. He knew he wanted it to be between 10-20 minutes long. During winter break, Riley found his editing groove. He edited three hours a day as he crafted the story with beautiful drone shots of the fall scenery, smooth action shots of Allred crushing the FKT and blending in interviews with the guys. After feedback from Wells and his buddies, Riley published the documentary to his YouTube page on Jan. 18. “I knew what he could do with the camera and how good he can make things look,” Allred said about Riley. “I had no expectations. I didn't know what to expect with how he was going to edit it but I was so happy with it when he showed me.”

bkelly@durangoherald.com

Isaac Allred rode fastest known time in October

Dove Creek holds off Ouray to stay perfectDolores girls edge Monticello in OTDOVE CREEK – When New York Yankees legendary reliever Mariano Rivera entered a game in the bottom of the ninth inning in a tight contest, Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” reverberated around Yankee Stadium. It was a signal to opposition that the game was over.The Dove Creek boys basketball team might be playing the same anthem as they head out of the locker room at halftime. The Bulldogs have been lights out after the intermission, adding to a string of strong second halves on Tuesday night with a shutdown defensive performance in a 49-36 win over Ouray.With the win, Dove Creek extended their winning streak to eight straight – and in those victories, Teresa Martin’s squad has outscored opponents in the fourth quarter in all but one of the wins.It’s been a sterling run fueled by a variety of factors – at times sharp three-point shooting, while on other occasions, tenacious defense proved to be the difference.Against the Trojans, DC turned up the defense in the second half, limiting the visitors to 10 total points after halftime while junior Josh Kibel and senior Sheldon Gardner sparked the second-half charge with 23 of the 28 points for the Bulldogs.The duo combined for six three-pointers, while the rest of the Bulldogs pummeled Ouray on the glass, aided by juniors Trevan Ivie and Bobby Pastorius.Dove Creek (12-5, 6-0 SJBL) heads into the second half of their double round-robin cycle through the San Juan Basin League, with rival Nucla waiting for a Feb. 8 encounter.Dove Creek 50, Ouray 8The Dove Creek girls required less drama in order to dispatch of the visiting Trojans to set up an opportunity for vengeance against Nucla on Saturday.

Junior Taylor Hampton posted a stellar day while dominating the paint, accounting for 18 points to lead all scorers. Head coach Julie Kibel enjoyed the chance to get in all 12 of her players, seven of which tallied points in the win.Seniors Ralynn Hickman and Taylor Barry complemented the winning effort with 12 and eight points, respectively, while sophomore Mykaela Fury tallied six.

The ‘Dogs (12-4, 5-1 SJBL) shut out Ouray in both the first and fourth quarters while building a 26-4 lead at the break.Dolores 42, Monticello 39 (OT)The Bears girls program has their highest winning total since the turn of the decade as Dolores continued their run of dramatic finishes in the victory over the Buckaroos.Seven of the past nine outings for the Bears (6-12, 3-5 SJBL) have come down to the final minute, and the Bears improved to 3-4 in those games decided by six points or fewer.Junior Taylor Erautt provided key buckets for the Bears at the end of regulation to give the Bears a 31-28 edge late in the fourth. However, the Buckaroos drilled a desperation three-pointer to tie up the game with just seconds left on the clock.Not to be discouraged, head coach Taralee Hufstetler’s Bears reclaimed momentum in the extra session, with senior Savannah Stiegelmeyer making a pivotal free throw to give the Bears a two-score lead.Stiegelmeyer led the Bears with 11 points, while Erautt added 10 in the win. Freshman Emilynn Hill added seven points and classmate Jordyn Erautt scored five as the Bears and Buckaroos split their season series – with both games requiring overtime.Dolores heads to Ouray for a Friday night bout while seeking back-to-back wins for the second time this season.Monticello 75, Dolores 57The Buckaroos raced to an early 20-12 lead and closed with a flourish to complete the season sweep over the Bears. Dolores hung within six heading to the final frame, but Monticello standout junior Kooper Nielson helped propel the visitors to the victory.Dolores (5-12, 3-5 SJBL) returns to league play with a trip to Ouray on Friday, looking for a season sweep of the Trojans.

Dolores girls edge Monticello in OT

Sierra County judge assigned to former Montezuma County DA’s DWI caseChristian Hatfield pretrial set for Feb. 11

After every San Juan County Magistrate recused themselves from the DWI case of the ousted Montezuma County District Attorney Christian Hatfield, the case has been assigned to Sierra County Judge Thomas Pestak.Hatfield, 59, is charged with a misdemeanor driving while under the influence alcohol or drugs and of possessing an open container.Hatfield was a public defender and attorney in San Juan County before running a law practice in Durango and being appointed by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis as Montezuma County district attorney. Voters in Montezuma County ousted Hatfield in the November elections, give his former assistant DA, Jeremy Reed, 67% of the vote.Hatfield waived his Jan. 8 arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty. His attorney, Arlon Stoker, said “it’s a non-prosecutable case because of all the errors made by law enforcement.”The errors Stoker refers to have to do with blood evidence collected from Hatfield nearly 12 hours after his Aug. 30, 2024, accident in which he crashed his SUV near the intersection of U.S. Highway 64 and San Juan County Road 5099.

The blood sample then was found four weeks later on Oct. 3, 2024, “sitting in the fridge,” at the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, because “it never made it through LERMS (the law enforcement records management system),” according to an Oct. 3 email sent to investigators by Elijah Montoya, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office evidence custodian assistant.The blood evidence was sent and then, received by the New Mexico Health Department Scientific Laboratory on Oct. 11, 2024, for testing, and it took 16 weeks to process.The results were mailed Dec. 9, 2024, to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office.“The results show that at the time of the blood draw, which was approximately eleven hours after the time of the crash due to medical issues, were 0.05 g/100 ml of Ethanol and 0.04 mg/L of Zolpidem (Ambien). Both Ethanol and Ambien are Central Nervous System Depressants,” the law enforcement report states.Formal charges were filed against Hatfield on Dec. 20 as the Sheriff’s Office waited until for the blood test results.

However, reports and a video found that Hatfield was found “unresponsive and barely able to stand” about 1 a.m. Aug. 30 on U.S. Highway 64, the report detailing the crash states.Investigators and medics noted a “pungent” odor of alcohol coming from Hatfield, and investigators found “an open 12-ounce can of Mexican Lager with residual liquid inside,” an “empty wine glass” and a “bottle of Ambien prescribed to Christian,” according to the report.A pretrial hearing is set for 10 a.m. Feb. 11 at Farmington Magistrate Court.

Christian Hatfield pretrial set for Feb. 11

Hearing set in DWI case of San Juan County DASpecial prosecutor and Sierra County judge handling the case

A pretrial hearing is set in the case of a San Juan County District Attorney charged with drunken driving.Chief Deputy District Attorney Dustin O’Brien, 53, was charged with aggravated DWI and failure to give immediate notice of accidents in connection to a crash in the 900 block of Gladeview Drive. Both charges are petty misdemeanors. he was put on leave pending the investigation.The hearing is scheduled for Jan. 7, starting at 9 a.m.Farmington police were called to the one-vehicle, hit-and-run crash about 1:26 p.m. Sept. 15, where they reportedly found a 2022 Dodge Ram 1500 with a camper shell crashed into a retaining wall, according to the statement of probable cause.

According to the statement, there was “heavy damage to the driver-side and passenger-side front bumpers,” and the driver-side rear bumper was against the wall.The homeowner told police he had a Ring camera with video of the crash and the person reportedly driving the truck walking away from the scene, court records state.When police watched the video, they identified the alleged driver as O’Brien and sent out an “attempt to locate” notice.O’Brien was found 30 minutes later near the Speedway at the intersection of North Dustin Avenue and East 20th Street. He was described by police as having a “slow, slurred speech and the odor of an intoxicating beverage on his person and exhaled breath,” according to the statement of probable cause.

O’Brien reportedly admitted to drinking one or two alcoholic beverages at 8 a.m. Sept. 15 and allegedly stated, “he felt he was safe to drive,” court records state.O’Brien reportedly declined a breath test and did not want to participate in a field sobriety test, but then submitted to a horizontal gaze test, a walk-and-turn test and a one-legged stand test, all of which “he failed” and reportedly “struggled to maintain his balance,” according to the probable cause statement.O’Brien allegedly stated he “was not ‘feeling good’ to drive,” but refused medical attention, according to the probable cause statement.Police also wrote in the report that there were “two 375ml bottles of Canadian Mist whiskey under the driver’s seat,” and one was empty, while the second had “half its contents consumed.”The San Juan County District Attorney’s Office assigned Taos District Attorney Marcus Montoya to handle the case. Montoya appointed Senior Trial Prosecutor Harvey Means to prosecute O’Brien.Sierra County Judge Thomas Pestak is hearing the case. Farmington attorney Mitchel Burns is representing O’Brien.

Special prosecutor and Sierra County judge handling the case

Photos: Durango plays Montezuma-Cortez in boys, girls high school basketballDurango girls and boys basketball teams defeat Montezuma-Cortez at DHS

Durango girls and boys basketball teams defeat Montezuma-Cortez at DHS

Montezuma County DA pleads not guilty to DWISan Juan County magistrates recuse themselves from case

Montezuma County District Attorney Christian Hatfield waived his arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty on misdemeanor charges of driving while under the influence alcohol or drugs and of possessing an open container.Hatfield, 59, was set to be arraigned Jan. 8 in San Juan County Magistrate Court, but his attorney, Arlon Stoker, filed the motion to waive the court date. Every magistrate in San Juan County recused themselves from the case.The recusals led to the cancellation of a Jan. 16 pretrial hearing. The hearing was rescheduled for Feb. 12, and canceled again.Because of the recusals, the case “will get assigned to a judge from out of the county,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Brian Decker.Hatfield headed up the San Juan County Public Defender’s Office in New Mexico for a number of years and practices law in the state.

He remains in his position of Montezuma County District Attorney until Jan. 14, when District Attorney-elect Jeremy Reed will be sworn into office.Hatfield was formally charged Dec. 20, 16 weeks after he crashed his SUV on U.S. Highway 64 outside Bloomfield on Aug. 30.The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office awaited filing charges until it received results from a blood test by the New Mexico Department of Health Scientific Laboratory that showed alcohol and a drug in Hatfield’s body after the crash.“The results show that at the time of the blood draw, which was approximately eleven hours after the time of the crash due to medical issues, were 0.05 g/100 ml of Ethanol and 0.04 mg/L of Zolpidem (Ambien). Both Ethanol and Ambien are Central Nervous System Depressants,” the law enforcement report states.The report detailing the crash states that Hatfield was found “unresponsive and barely able to stand” about 1 a.m. Aug. 30 near the intersection of U.S. Highway 64 and County Road 5099.

Investigators and medics noted a “pungent” odor of alcohol coming from Hatfield, and investigators found “an open 12-ounce can of Mexican Lager with residual liquid inside,” an “empty wine glass” and a “bottle of Ambien prescribed to Christian,” according to the report.After unredacted records were released, the Tri-City Record learned that the Bloomfield Police Department was the first to respond to the crash. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office turned over records and video evidence pertaining to the case on Dec. 19, after New Mexico Foundation for Open Government Legal Director Amanda Lavin made a legal argument for unredacted information.The Tri-City Record made an Inspection of Public Records Act request to the Bloomfield Police Department on Dec. 30, requesting all copies of lapel cam video, dashcam video and photographs pertaining to Hatfield’s Aug. 30 crash.Bloomfield Police Administrative Assistant Ruth Montoya stated in an email Dec. 30 that “the videos will need to be redacted” and should be received no later than Jan. 28.

San Juan County magistrates recuse themselves from case

Montezuma County DA Christian Hatfield charged with DWICharges come 16 weeks after crash near Farmington, New MexicoMontezuma County District Attorney Christian Hatfield was charged Friday with driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs 16 weeks after he crashed his SUV on U.S. Highway 64 outside Bloomfield.The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office charged Hatfield, 59, with petty misdemeanor charge of DWI and an open container in connection to the Aug. 30 single-car crash.The charges come after results from a blood test by the New Mexico Department of Health Scientific Laboratory showed alcohol and a drug in Hatfield’s body after the crash.

“The results show that at the time of the blood draw, which was approximately eleven hours after the time of the crash due to medical issues, were 0.05 g/100 ml of Ethanol and 0.04 mg/L of Zolpidem (Ambien). Both Ethanol and Ambien are Central Nervous System Depressants,” the law enforcement report states.Two vials of blood were taken from Hatfield at 1:33 p.m. Aug. 30, which was more than 12 hours after the crash occurred about 1 a.m. Those vials were received by the New Mexico Department of Health Scientific Laboratory at 10:26 a.m. Oct. 11, which was six weeks after the crash, according to records from the lab.An investigation into the blood warrant by The Journal newspaper in Cortez, Colorado, showed that the blood sample sat in a refrigerator at the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office until Oct. 3, because paperwork to send it to the state laboratory was not processed.“I think it’s a non-prosecutable case because of all the errors made by law enforcement,” said Arlon Stoker, a high-profile defense attorney secured by Hatfield to fight the charges.

The charges made by the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office are “based on the observations made by law enforcement officers on scene and the presence of intoxicating drugs and liquors in Christian's blood,” according to the report that was given to The Journal by the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.Amanda Lavin, legal director for NMFOG, assisted The Journal in accessing public records from the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in Aztec. The records had been redacted, leaving out Hatfield’s name and information about the blood warrant filed in San Juan County Magistrate Court.Public records requests by The Journal and the Tri-City Record went unresolved for 14 weeks.The Journal requested body camera footage and lapel camera video on Sept. 3.The Tri-City Record requested any and all warrants, investigative reports and laboratory reports as well as photos, lapel cam videos and dash cam videos on Oct. 23.On Dec. 9, Lavin made the same requests.

The Journal received access to photos and videos in an email on Dec. 19, and Lavin, after making a legal argument for unredacted information, received the full report Dec. 19 and was advised that charges would be forthcoming.The report detailing the crash states that Hatfield was found “unresponsive and barely able to stand” about 1 a.m. Aug. 30 near the intersection of U.S. Highway 64 and County Road 5099.Investigators and medics noted a “pungent” odor of alcohol coming from Hatfield, and investigators found “an open 12-ounce can of Mexican Lager with residual liquid inside,” an “empty wine glass,” and a “bottle of Ambien prescribed to Christian,” according to the report.The affidavit for search warrant for blood submitted by sheriff’s deputy Avery Killifer states he had an “opinion that the defendant was driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor or a controlled substance.” The deputy “placed the defendant under arrest” at the time, but Hatfield was taken to San Juan Regional Medical Center, because of “extensive injuries.”A summons was issued for Hatfield, and an arraignment is set for 8:30 a.m. Jan. 8 in Aztec Magistrate Court.

Charges come 16 weeks after crash near Farmington, New Mexico