Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
On this date ...
1969: Ronald Gutierrez, 19, of Tucumcari, was charged with the fiery Jan. 16 killing of Frutoso “Fritz” Romero in a shack in the 200 block of East Turner Street in Tucumcari. Another suspect, Cipriano Salazar, 19, of Tucumcari was bound over to district court by a judge, with bond set at $10,000. The victim had been assaulted before his body was set afire underneath a mattress. Police picked up Salazar at his home 3 1/2 hours after the fire after receiving a tip from an unknown informant.
• The New Mexico Disaster Committee asked that five counties, including Quay, be declared a drought disaster area. Ranchers in the five counties would be allowed to graze cattle on land retired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Grazing or haying would require the farmers to reimburse the agency for forage removed.