Dogs kill Tucumcari man

A pack of roaming dogs attacked and killed a Tucumcari man as he was walking near Mesalands Community College on Wednesday night.

Five mixed-breed dogs attacked Stanley Hartt, 64, as he was walking down 11th Street near Gamble Avenue, according to a news release from New Mexico State Police, which is investigating.

Hartt died of his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Office of Medical Examiner.

NMSP will give its final report to the district attorney’s office for the possible filing of charges. A state police spokesman stated in an email Friday that “no names will be released at this time” about the dogs’ owners while the case still was being investigated.

The attack prompted Quay County Emergency Management to issue text alerts Wednesday night through early Thursday morning, warning Tucumcari residents south of Tucumcari Boulevard and west of First Street to keep themselves and their pets indoors because of “vicious” animals in the area.

Emergency management initially issued the alert shortly after 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and canceled it about 2 a.m. Thursday, though authorities still were looking for a tan German shepherd on Thursday mid-morning. All the dogs were located by 10 a.m. Thursday.

Sheriff’s deputy Rudy Vallejo said four dogs suspected in the attack were picked up Wednesday and a fifth dog on Thursday morning. He said the animals were being detained in the city pound.

State police stated one dog was euthanized by a sheriff’s deputy after the attack.

City manager Paula Chacon said Friday the other four dogs identified in the attack would be kept at the city pound until NMSP completes its investigation.

Deputies from the Quay County Sheriff’s Office also provided extra patrols around Tucumcari Public Schools on Thursday morning due to the attack.

Chacon said a full-time animal control officer likely would begin work sometime this week. She said Tucumcari Police had been handling animal complaints during the interim.

Undersheriff Russell Shafer said Thursday he has been involved in law enforcement in Quay County since 2002, including as sheriff for eight years. He indicated Wednesday's incident was virtually unprecedented in the area.

“I’ve never heard of a dog attack like this,” he said.

Tucumcari Mayor Ralph Moya, 72, who has lived in the area most of his life, also said Thursday afternoon he could not recall a human being killed by dogs in the region.

Hartt, describing himself as an aspiring writer and inventor, wrote a guest column in November for the Quay County Sun after relocating from Albuquerque in early 2021.

Hartt wrote about going for walks in town, and he extolled its quiet virtues.

“I think our best days are coming, and sooner than most who live here might imagine,” he wrote.