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Police: Driver was thrown from bus
The driver killed in a school bus crash in Rio Arriba County Monday was thrown from the bus, according to State Police.
Sgt. Emmanuel Gutierrez confirmed 69-year-old Patricio Valdez, of La Madera, was ejected from the bus, a claim made by one of the nine passengers Monday. Gutierrez was not able to confirm the boy’s other assertion, that Valdez may have been run over by the Mesa Vista school district bus.
Gutierrez said three juveniles remained hospitalized on Tuesday in serious condition. That’s one more than was reported on Tuesday.
State Police initially said one 9-year-old student suffered a broken back. On Tuesday Gutierrez said that boy, who was airlifted from the scene, suffered from an injury to his right hip, not his back. He required surgery for the injury.
A 16-year-old passenger lost her top teeth, loosened her lower teeth and had a fracture to her face, according to Gutierrez.
A third victim, new to the injured list provided by the agency, is a 14-year-old male with internal injuries.
The crash was reported on N.M. 111 near La Madera Monday at about 7:30 a.m. The bus suddenly left the roadway and traveled down a 30-foot embankment, eventually stopping in some trees.
The cause remains under investigation, although a Rio Arriba Sheriff’s Office spokesman said Valdez may have suffered either a heart attack or another medical incident. Gutierrez would not confirm this claim.
SF man charged with felony DWI
A 56-year-old Santa Fe man was charged with felony DWI Friday after allegedly getting in a crash with a minivan containing two children, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.
Isabel Realivazquez was driving a 2000 Ford Crown Victoria when he struck the minivan, according to a sheriff’s report. The crash occurred at County Roads 101D and 84A in the El Rancho area.
Realivazquez admitted to drinking a 12-pack of beer and two shots of tequila before driving, and he had open alcohol containers in the vehicle, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The driver submitted to a breath test, which indicated he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.20 and 0.21 percent. The legal limit for driving in New Mexico is 0.08 percent. The report states he has three prior DWIs.
Maj. Ken Johnson reported Tuesday that the 15-year-old male and a 5-year-old female were not injured in the crash, but an adult female in the vehicle complained of neck and chest pains.
Man pleads to girl’s sex assault
Calvin Tenorio, Sr., 65, a member and resident of Kewa Pueblo, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of abusive sexual contact of minor younger than 12, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Tenorio was arrested on Jan. 10 and subsequently charged based on an allegation that he sexually assaulted a child on Nov. 28, 2012, by touching the child’s clothed genitals.
Court records reflect that a family member reported the sexual assault to Kewa Pueblo officials that same day.
Tenorio remains in custody pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison followed by up to five years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender.
‘Pink building’ on endangered list
The Scottish Rite Temple, otherwise known as “the pink building,” in Santa Fe, is being added to the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance’s Most Endangered Properties List.
An architecturally striking building at a busy corner in downtown Santa Fe, it may go up for sale, endangering the future of both the building and its furnishings, which include unusual painted stage screens used in Masonic theatrical productions, outstanding stained glass windows, and other distinctive features, according to the alliance.
The Most Endangered Properties program is designed to create awareness of threatened cultural resources statewide, including important historic, architectural, archeological and traditional cultural sites, as well as landscapes and open spaces. There are now more than 90 sites listed.
