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Nathan'ette
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The
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Monday, October 08, 2012
news
Published
September 26, 2012
“A man threatens New Mexico Governor
Susana Martinez”
by
Nathan’ette Burdine-Follow
on Twitter@nbnylemagazine
A New Mexico man found himself standing before a judge and
answering questions about why he decided to threaten and harass New Mexico’s
governor, Susana Martinez. Gadi
Schwartz and Joe Vigil, of KOB Eyewitness News 4, stated in their article
“Governor speaks out about threats calling them ‘vulgar’” that James
Sanchez made several threatening and harassing phone calls to the governor’s
office. Schwartz and Vigil reported that Sanchez, who is also a
Vietnam veteran, was not too please with the sight of cows roaming freely on
public land. Nico Roesler, of the
Sante Fe New Mexican, reported in his article “Man held after alleged threats
against governor” that Sanchez made a political ad accusing the governor of
supporting rich ranchers who did not keep their cows secured within a closed
location. As a result, the cows
wandered into residential areas and some wandered onto Sanchez’s property.
And Sanchez decided that he would use some fiery language in order to put
some pep in the governor’s step. Schwartz
and Vigil reported that Sanchez informed Governor Martinez that he fought in
Vietnam and his mission was to get rid of “evil” human beings like her.
Schwartz and Vigil quoted Sanchez as saying, “I was in Vietnam, I
killed children, I killed babies but my mission was not so much (inaudible) to
help you people, I fed a bunch of your people, but my mission is to take evil
out of the world and you are evil.” Sanchez
then went on to taunt the governor and dare her to send the state police after
him. Schwartz and Vigil quoted him
as saying, “You mother (expletive), I know where you live (expletive).
You send the state police after me? (Expletive), you better sleep with
one eye open mother (expletive)…cause we are coming to see you.”
Well, Sanchez never did make it to see the governor.
However, the police did come to see him.
Sanchez
tried easing any concerns the police had about his ability to make good on his
alleged threats. According to
Schwartz and Vigil, Sanchez denied owning a gun.
He also stated that the police was making the situation bigger than it
was. According to Roesler,
Sanchez’s attorney, Thomas Esquibel, stated that Sanchez was just trying to
keep his family, who travels on his private road, safe from the wandering herd
of cows. Unfortunately for Sanchez,
the common “get out of jail” excuses about protecting one’s family and
property did not work. Further,
these common “get out of jail” excuses do not work when there is a pattern
of alleged criminal behavior.
According
to Roesler, this is not Sanchez’s first time in trouble. In fact, Roesler stated that the Socorro County Magistrate
court records show that Sanchez has been charged with four felonies along with
aggravated battery, aggravated assault, and criminal damage to property.
However, Sanchez does not see any wrong he is alleged to have done.
From his perspective, Governor Martinez is the problem.
He sees her as a bad representation of the people of New Mexico.
Sanchez made this clear with his displeasement of the language Governor
Martinez used during her speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC).
The
transcript of Governor Martinez’s speech at the Republican National Convention
is posted on Fox News’ website. The
governor used the word damn during her speech, explaining how she and her
husband, Chuck, switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.
Based on Fox News’ transcript of the governor’s speech, the Governor
said, “But we talked about
issues-they never used the words Republican or Democrat, conservative or
liberal. We talked about many
issues, like welfare, is it the way of life or hand up?
Talked about size of government, how much should it tax families and
small businesses? And when we left
that lunch, we got in the car and I looked over at Chuck and said, ‘I’ll be
damned. We’re Republicans.’”
Although damn was the only curse word the governor used, Sanchez saw the
word as a litany of curse words. To
Sanchez, the governor’s one curse word was equal to several curse words.
Schwartz and Vigil quoted Sanchez as saying, “I was watching the
convention and she starts swearing like a drunken sailor on national TV.
My grandson said, ‘That lady said a bad word.’
And I told him that’s no lady, that is the wicked witch of the west.”
Apparently,
Sanchez’s dislike of the governor has been going on since April of this year.
Roesler noted that Sanchez was arrested, in April 2012, because of
harassing calls he has made to the Governor’s Office of Constituent Services.
Upon his release, Sanchez was told that if he behaved in that manner
again then he would be arrested again. Sanchez
didn’t pay any attention to the court’s order and decided to contact the
governor on the night of the governor’s RNC speech.
According to Roesler, Sanchez left two messages on the governor’s
voicemail. Sanchez’s lawyer
stated that his client has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
However, the revelation that Sanchez may be psychologically sick, due to
no fault of his own, did not cause the assistant district attorney or the judge
to show any leniency.
Roesler
quoted Assistant District Attorney Kent Wahlquist as saying, “You already
asked him not to do this anymore and he was unable to follow the court’s
orders.” Schwartz and Vigil
stated that the judge decided that Sanchez would have to come up with a $100,000
cash only bond or remain in jail. Although
Governor Martinez says that Sanchez’s behavior is troublesome and he needs to
be held accountable, she also says that it is something she just brushes off of
her shoulders. Schwartz and Vigil
quoted her as saying, “He rambles. He
threatens. It rolls of my back.”
According to Schwartz and Vigil, Governor Martinez also stated that she
has never talked to Sanchez. Due to
the fact that Sanchez hasn’t come up with the money, he continues to sit in
jail. According to Roesler, Judge
Segura has set a jury selection date for October 10, 2012.
Email-nathanette.burdine@thenylemagazine.com
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