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City manager won’t face criminal charges
Las Cruces City Manager Terrence Moore (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
Las Cruces City Manager Terrence Moore won’t be charged in a probe into two incidents involving him and his ex-wife, the Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting.
The district attorney’s office confirmed for the newspaper that it had completed a review of the investigation by the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department into injuries Moore’s then-wife suffered in late 2008 and questions surrounding a police report the city manager filed over a prescription-drug incident in January 2009.
“There was insufficient evidence to proceed,” Deputy District Attorney Nelson Goodin was quoted by the newspaper as saying. “What our case would be based on is hearsay.”
That’s because, according to sheriff’s investigator Robyn Gojkovich, Moore’s ex-wife refused to cooperate with the probe.
“If you don’t have a victim, you don’t have a crime,” the Sun-News quoted Gojkovich as saying.
Earlier this year, the sheriff’s department took over what was originally an Las Cruces Police Department probe after the district attorney raised concerns about LCPD investigating a case involving its own boss and urged the transfer. Moore oversees the police chief and, by extension, the police department.
Last year, Las Cruces police closed the case without filing charges. Former Interim Police Chief Pete Bradley said earlier this year that the case was dropped because no one, including Moore’s ex-wife, alleged a crime, and police didn’t have probable cause to proceed.
But LCPD never interviewed Moore, which the sheriff’s department did in its investigation. The result, apparently, was the same: No victim, no crime.
Moore called the investigation nothing more than “a witch hunt – an attempt to discredit me.” The Sun-News quoted him as saying there was “absolutely nothing there.”
The city manager, who has been dogged in recent months by the law enforcement probe and media and city council scrutiny of other situations, announced last week that he will resign at the end of the year. The Sun-News quoted him as saying the law enforcement probe had nothing to do with his decision.
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As someone who has been involved in the adoption of a City approved plan for the Alameda Depot Neighborhood, been on a number of city authorized committees, met with Terrence Moore, the Mayors and City Council many times I feel I can offer a fairly knowledgable overview of the thoughts and concerns expressed about Mr Moores term of service.
I think that there were many accomplishments and they should be applauded. I think that the matter of his personal life should be none of our business unless there are charges and/or a conviction occurs.
Mostly, I believe that the real matter of importance is the question of why the Mayor and City Council are not taking the appropriate action of ordering an audit of the construction costs of the new ‘City of Las Cruces City Hall’ as it was poorly named.
Councilor Miguel Silva has correctly requested this action and was shot down immediately by “Mayor-want-to-be” Dolores Connor. As he pointed out the “GAP Rule” required that when the cost of an awarded bid for contruction goes above 30% any further money to be spent must go back to the City Council for approval. This makes sure that such shenanigans as those that have happened here do not stay in the dark out of public scrutiny. The true costs, as they are finally and slowly being revealed by Mr Moore and his staff are proving to be headed over $ 40 million while the original approved bid for contruction was $26 million. Do the math. It went over the 30% rule at just under $ 34 million and just kept going. The City Manager did not maintain the proper process according to the “GAP Rule”. It would likely cost about $ 8 – 10 thousand dollars to perform an audit to explain where almost $ 15 million dollars went above the original approved bid for construction. Why won’t the Mayor or the rest of the City Council do the right thing and grant Councilor Silva’s request for an audit?
With that in mind ponder the fact that Jaynes, the main contractor for the City Hall is also under contract for the new indoor competition Swimming Pool at Hadley and Solano as well as the Convention Center.
It was Susana Martinez duty at the request of those in authority to call for an investigation into possible wrong doing. This takes time and was done efficiently by the Sheriff’s Department and the findings turned over to the District Attorney’s office for review.
When no physical evidence came to light, only hearsay, Martinez office decided it was not in the best interest of the people to pursue a case that could not be won and would cost the taxpayers a lot of money. She did her job commendably and should be lauded for it. There will always be naysayers to question the system of justice and the person or persons working to do their jobs.
It is the Progressives in this state that want to waste taxpayer dollars, so if they want to do so, maybe they should pony up the necessary funds to do so and leave the level headed people out of their pursuits.
Like I said, Heath, you’re certainly not a stenographer. And yes, the whole saga of the way Terrence Moore’s past few months as City Manager have gone done is terribly, awfully, unfortunate. Having seen first some of the way things happen in this town’s inner circles makes me highly suspicious of the motives and timing of all the players involved.
Thinker, it’s my understanding that the sheriff’s department was waiting for the results of a subpoena that only came about 10 days ago… an in my experience as a police reporter, it always takes a least a few days for the DA’s office to review things after a police agencies finishes a probe.
Unfortunately, these things don’t happen quickly.
Has the Sun-News, the ABQ Journal or any media outlet bothered to press Martinez on how she managed to sit on this review until just days after the City Manager finally decided to submit his resignation? Or would that be committing an “Act of Journalism” during and election year in which a townie is running for Gov?
The decline of government in this country is positively correlated to the increasing refusal by “The Press” to use its Freedom to be anything other than comfort-seeking stenographers—this blog host excluded, of course.
Well, we can’t all be Michael Hastings, eh?
There is a victim – Terrence Moore. The District Attorney’s Office led a witch hunt with incompetent and long investigation. It was rather disgusting!