Cops Seek Suspect Who Tried to Kidnap 5-Year-Old Girl

(ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.) -- Police are searching for a suspect in an attempted kidnapping in Albuquerque on Wednesday evening.

The incident happened around 6:35 p.m. on the 1700 block of Indian School Road. Police said a male suspect forced a 5-year-old girl into his vehicle and then drove off. The child's mother then gave chase in her vehicle, with the suspect then reportedly pushing the child out of the vehicle a short distance away.

Police say the mother crashed her vehicle into the suspect's vehicle, with the suspect then exiting and fleeing the scene.

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Missing Texas Man with Alzheimer’s May Have Driven to NM

(SANTA FE, N.M.) -- An elderly man from El Paso County, Texas, with Alzheimer's, who has not been seen since Saturday may have driven to New Mexico, according to Texas authorities and New Mexico State Police.

Victor Vargas, 72, was last seen at his house in Clint, Texas. Officials believe he may have driven to a piece of property his wife owns in Cloud Croft, New Mexico. They think he may have traveled to Albuquerque after that.

Vargas is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, depression, and suicidal tendencies, and officials are worried he may be in danger because of his conditions.

Vagas is described as a Hispanic male, standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 210 pounds. He is balding, has a tattoo on his right arm reading “vic,” and he notably has one blue eye and one brown eye.

He was driving a grey/silver Chevy Silverado truck with Texas plate AC78811.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department at 915-546-2284 and ask for Deputy Jay Andujo.

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Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Federal Prison for Fatal crash

(ALBUQERUQUE, N.M.) -- An Albuquerque man was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison and three additional years of supervised release on Tuesday for involuntary manslaughter, The Albuquerque Journal reports.

The man, 25-year-old Lawrence Presley O’Dell, crashed his vehicle while driving while intoxicated on June 25, killing his passenger, Ramus James.

O’Dell, an enrolled member of the Navajo nation, was arrested last October, and has been in custody since that time.

He pleaded guilty to the crime.

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Suspected Carjacker Killed in Rollover Crash

(ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.) -- A suspected carjacker is dead following a crash in Albuquerque on Tuesday afternoon.

Police say around 2:45 p.m. they received a call about an attempted robbery at a local store in the area of Fourth Street and Alameda Boulevard; following which, there was another call about a carjacking at the same location. As officers were out searching for the stolen car and the suspect, police were informed about a rollover crash in the vicinity of Fourth Street and Ranchitos Road.

Police say the driver was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and the vehicle in the crash, matched the description of the carjacker and the stolen car, according to investigators.

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State Police Officer Saves Girl Trapped Under Flipped SUV

(CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M.) -- A New Mexico State Police Officer responding to the scene of a vehicle roll-over on Interstate 40, saved a girl last Wednesday who had been trapped under the flipped SUV, the New Mexico Department of Public Safety announced Tuesday.

The accident occurred on May 8 at 7:40 a.m. when a black Ford SUV rolled-over near milepost 92 on I-40. Officer Steven Nunez arrived at the scene, and noticed that a girl was trapped underneath the roof of the upside-down vehicle.

The SUV was crushing three quarters of the 8-year-old’s body, according to police. Nunez had already called in for an ambulance, and attempted to life the vehicle using a jack, but had been unsuccessful.

Suddenly Nunez noticed that she had stopped breathing. When she gasped suddenly, Nunez “realized action needed to be taken immediately, or else the girl would die,” according to the department.

Nunez called over four bystanders, and the five of them were able to lift the vehicle up enough to get the girl out.  She was taken to UNMH via air ambulance, where she is reportedly in serious but stable condition.

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Population of Las Cruces Now Over 100,000

(LAS CRUCES, N.M.) -- Las Cruces has become the second city in New Mexico with a population of more than 100,000, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News.

The population surpassed the 100,000 milestone sometime between July 1, 2012 and April 1, 2013, according to city statistics.

The 2011 Census reports Albuquerque as having a population of 552,804 while Rio Rancho, the third largest city in the state, is home to 89,320 people.

Several citizens were worried that the population is expanding faster than the Las Cruces job market.

"Just no industry, jobs to help the population be prosperous,” Jamie White told the Sun-News. “Way too many people have to rely on El Paso and WSMR for jobs."

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Cops: Truck Driver Blames Dropped Cellphone in Fatal Crash

(ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.) -- One person is dead and another person faces a criminal charge following a vehicular crash in Bernalillo County on Monday afternoon.

The crash happened on Coors near Papito Road. According to the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department, Anthony Chavez said he was driving a truck, when he dropped his cellphone and leaned over to pick it up. Investigators said the truck ran a red light and crashed into a silver Volkswagen, killing the driver of that vehicle, 24-year-old Christian Gurule.

Chavez, 26, has been charged with vehicular homicide pursuant to reckless driving.

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Albuquerque Ranked a Top 10 'American City of the Future'

(ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.) -- Albuquerque is the ninth best mid-sized American city of the future, and is a promising place for businesses to set up shop, according to a new study by Foreign Direct Investment Intelligence, the results of which were announced Monday.

The FDI Intelligence study examined the economic potential, human resources, cost effectiveness, infrastructure, business friendliness and foreign direct investment strategy of various cities across the western hemisphere.

The new accolade comes on the heels of another promising ranking, as The Boyd Co. recently ranked Albuquerque as a top western city to operate a distribution center served by rail. The relatively low cost of doing business in Albuquerque makes it appealing to companies looking to place intermodal distribution facilities.

“It’s great to see that the word is getting out,” said Mayor Berry during the announcement on Monday.

“Continued investment in transportation infrastructure at New Mexico’s Borderplex combined with Albuquerque’s sophisticated labor force and centralized location in the U.S. Southwest is positioning us to become a major trade and logistics hub,” the mayor noted.

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Rio Grande Zoo's Baby Giraffe Gets a Name

(ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.) -- The baby giraffe born in April at the Rio Grande Zoo has a name now, thanks to a poll on the ABQ BioPark’s Facebook page.

“Abiquiu” won in a landside, capturing 609 out of more than 1,000 votes. The female giraffe will go by “Abi,” for short.

“We’re excited ‘Abiquiu’ is the winning name,” said giraffe zookeeper Bricker Thietten. “It was definitely our favorite, because even if she moves to a different zoo in the future, she will always have a New Mexico name."

However, as one naming contest ends, another begins. On Saturday, the Zoo hosted a baby shower for the orangutan born on April 26. Amid cake and presents, zoo officials revealed that the baby is also a girl, and announced another naming contest on Facebook.

The slated names are Pixi, Sian, Betty and Indie. Voting ends on May 18.

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Woman Recovering After Bullet Lands on Head

(ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.) -- A 74-year-old woman is recovering after a bullet landed on top of her head on Sunday, as she stood outside an Albuquerque church.

The incident happened on Sunday morning, as Merced Estrada was standing on the 2400 block of Broadway SE. Police say it appears that someone fired a gun in the surrounding neighborhood, and the bullet landed on the woman's head.

Estrada was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

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