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Welcome to Desert Journal Online, established in May 2001 in New Mexico. Our website offers our true crime book, Satan's Den Exposed - The David Parker Ray Story, and poetry and photo collections, Bombshell Liberation and Interference, and provides free access to our featured columns, photos and news archives.











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Last modified: October 1, 2008

…Beautiful beaches galore

“This is like being at the ocean,” said Brian Trego, owner of El Cortez Theater, during a brisk February walk along the shoreline of Elephant Butte Lake Thursday morning. Trego looks optimistically towards spring and summer when droves of visitors will take to the pristine sands of the newly created beaches that will provide ample of room for everyone to have fun in the sun at the recreational paradise of the Southwest. Scroll down page to see more beaches.
Photo by Bill Johnson

…More room than you can imagine

While drought may be bad for the farmers, it should provide a boon for recreational opportunities at Elephant Butte Lake this spring and summer as more and more beachfront becomes available with the water level receding at the state’s largest lake. To put it simply, there’s a lot more room to park all of them RVs and boat trailers, plus more room than you can imagine for water fun.
Photo by Bill Johnson

Cars Plus owners accused of racketeering

By Fred Mramor of the Desert Journal

Trial has not yet been scheduled for Charles and Raybella Schnyder in the Seventh Judicial District Court for fraud, conspiracy, forgery and racketeering.

The Schnyders, former owners of the Cars Plus used auto dealership in Truth or Consequences, entered into a financing agreement in May 2000 with Joe Liebich and Jack and Kathleen Henning of H&L Financing in which H&L would lend money for the purchase of vehicles to be sold at the Cars Plus lot, according to T or C Police Officer Ron Huff’s affidavit filed in district court on Oct. 11, 2001.

The affidavit alleges that in November 1999 the Schnyders received a loan of $9,900 from H&L to purchase a 1994 Chevrolet pickup truck. But the Schnyders also borrowed  $7,500 from Wayne Morris of Wayne’s Auto Sales in Las Cruces to purchase the same vehicle, according to the affidavit.

In a second fraud count the affidavit alleges that H&L was unable to locate at the Cars Plus lot a Yamaha motorcycle for which they had loaned the Schnyders $4,950.

The motorcycle was located in the Schnyders’ garage at their Las Palomas home although vehicles purchased through H&L loans were to be kept at the auto lot, the affidavit said.

A 1976 Dodge Caravan financed by H&L also was located at the Las Palomas home, hidden by the residence and concealed from view, according to the affidavit.

On April 26, 2000, four Cars Plus checks totaling $8,683 for loan repayments to H&L were returned by the bank for insufficient funds, the affidavit alleges.

H&L loaned the Schnyders $5,000 to purchase a 1994 Oldsmobile, but a records check showed that the vehicle belonged to Borman Autoplex that had placed the car with Cars Plus to sell on consignment, the affidavit states.

Wayne Morris loaned the Schnyders $4,500 on Feb. 21, 2000, to purchase a 1995 Eagle Summit, the affidavit states.

The Schnyders provided Morris with a title for the vehicle but Motor Vehicle Division records show that the Schnyders obtained a duplicate title and sold the Eagle to another party, the affidavit alleges.

Morris received neither the vehicle nor the money he had advanced for it, according to the affidavit.

In a Dec. 7, 1998 agreement, Glenn Schwab provided $35,000 to the Schnyders who would in turn purchase vehicles from Schwab.

As one vehicle was sold, an-other vehicle of comparable value would be purchased to maintain a dollar amount of inventory.

The Schnyders were to pay Schwab $700 a month in interest but stopped making the payments by April 2000. No money has been paid toward the principal, and no vehicles have been turned over to the creditor, according to the affidavit.

Schwab in another floor plan agreement loaned the Schnyders $15,000 to be repaid in 45 days.

Charles Schnyder wrote a check to Schwab and asked him to hold it for 45 days. When that time was up, Schnyder asked Schwab to hold the check another 45 days as Schnyder said he expected an insurance check following the death of his mother-in-law.

Schwab finally deposited Schnyder’s check on May 30, 2000, but the check was returned and marked ‘account closed,’ the affidavit states.

The affidavit alleged that on March 16, 2000, Ocalla Foti and Paul Hanglin bought a motor home from Cars Plus for $3,500 with a down payment of $2,000. Foti and Hanglin having trouble with the motor home, Cars Plus picked up the vehicle and told Foti and Hanglin it was being sent to a garage for repairs.

The motor home was never returned to Foti and Hanglin but a Cars Plus representative contacted them requesting payment for the balance of $1,500. Foti refused to pay until the mobile home was returned, according to the affidavit.

District Attorney’s Office personnel were not immediately available to comment as of press time Thursday to say just how they will proceed with this case.

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…Going down?

Marina del Sur shifts with the sand as the water level of Elephant Butte Reservoir recedes with drought, resulting from the lack of adequate snowfall in the Rio Grande Basin. Bureau of Reclamation officials said the lake’s level is expected to drop 40 feet plus by the end of summer, which should keep marina operators at the lake busy.
Photo By Bill Johnson

Tours offered of historic

Armendaris Ranch here

Proceeds will benefit Geronimo Springs Museum

The Sierra County Historical Society and Geronimo Springs Museum in Truth or Consequences are offering a unique opportunity to tour portions of the historic Armendaris Ranch.

The ranch borders the Rio Grande and Elephant Butte Reservoir in eastern Sierra County.

The tour will be Saturday, April 6, beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at 6 p.m. The cost is $150 per person, which includes transportation, field guides and a tailgate lunch; or $125 per person for anyone traveling in his or her own pre-approved 4-wheel drive vehicle.

All reservations must be made in advance, either by mail or in person at the museum. The tour is limited to the first 15 people who register and prepay.

All tour proceeds will benefit Geronimo Springs Museum.

Tour guides will be Armendaris Ranch manager Tom Waddell and wildlife biologist Parry Larsen of Elephant Butte.

During the tour, the two will discuss cultural and natural resources of the ranch, including:

The history of the Armendariz Ranch land grant;

El Camino Real and the Jornada del Muerto, portions of which pass through the ranch as well as the passage of Don Juan de Onate and his party through the area in 1598, and documented parajes (camps) and wagon ruts created during more than 200 years of Spanish colonial commerce;

Military and Civil War events;

Apache conflicts on the ranch;

Ranch and rangeland management, wildlife observation and interpretation, including the biology and possible citing of bison, antelope, desert big horn sheep, oryx, mule deer, mountain lion, coyote, prairie dogs, hawks and numerous other bird species.

“This is a unique opportunity for local residents and visitors to see first-hand some of the many historic and cultural resources that were originally part of one of the oldest Spanish land grants in the area," said Geronimo Springs Director Ann Welborn. “We are grateful to New Mexico Ranch Properties, owners of the Armendaris Ranch, for this opportunity to share its history and beauty, and to benefit our museum,” she said.

Unsuccessful late tour applicants will receive a full and immediate refund of their payment and will be the first persons placed on a contact list for future tours sponsored by the museum and Sierra County Historical Society.

For more information and to register for the tour, contact Geronimo Springs Museum at (505) 894-6600 or visit it at 211 Main St. in downtown T or C.

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A seagull glides gracefully over Lion’s Beach at Elephant Butte Lake Thursday morning.

Photo by Bill Johnson

Flood Commissioner announces 

project on lower Cuchillo

The Sierra County office of Flood Commissioner, in cooperation with the New Mexico State Forestry Division’s Inmate Work Camp Program, will be performing another phase of the Lower Cuchillo Floodway and watershed Restoration Project, Flood Commissioner Barry L. Haight announced Wednesday.

Trained inmate work crews, under the supervision of the Division of Forestry, will cut salt cedar and other non-native species in the waterway and on associated flood levees and treat stumps with herbicide.

Desirable native growth, such as willows, will be left providing wildlife habitat and natural protection for levees.

Work is expected to begin March 5 and continue on alternating days during the first two weeks of March. No work will be conducted on weekends.

Cutting and herbicide treatments by inmates will be directed by Division of Forestry employees.

All workers are minimum-security inmates. Inmates will be transported back to Los Lunas at the end of each workday.

The Inmate Work Camp Program makes a very expensive phase of this project possible for the Sierra Flood District and will help conserve flood tax dollars.

The Sierra Soil and Water Conservation District will provide the herbicide for the project, and is exploring ways" to recycle the cuttings.

For more information, call Barry Haight at 894-5552 or Brian G. Henington, IWC Program Manager, at 505-865-2775.

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The stiff wind on Elephant Butte Lake Thursday morning produces some white caps and ocean-like waves.
Photo by Bill Johnson

Bureau of Reclamation to celebrate

Centennial anniversary on June 17^th

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will celebrate its centennial anniversary on June 17, 2002.

From then through June 17, 2003, the BOR will celebrate 100 years as a federal bureau dedicated to supplying the Western United States with vital water and hydroelectricity supplies.

Congress established the BOR on June 17, 1902, to provide for the irrigation, storage, diversion and development of water that ultimately made settlement of the West possible.

Today, BOR has more than 180 projects located throughout the 17 Western States.

BOR facilities provide agricultural, municipal and industrial water to about 33 percent of the West’s population; hydroelectricity for more than four million households; and recreational opportunities at more than 300 sites.

BOR also has a wide variety of partnerships with other Federal, State and local government entities, Native American Tribes, stakeholders, customers and other interest groups to address the often-competing needs for the West’s limited water supplies through water conservation, reuse, marketing, and other innovative methods.

“As a contemporary water resources management agency, BOR believes that by collaborating and cooperating with all water users, BOR can successfully continue to serve in its role as a steward of the West’s valuable water resources,” said BOR Commissioner John W. Keys III.

Reclamation employees will celebrate the centennial with events being planned by their regional and area offices throughout the West.

Numerous opportunities will exist for the public to participate. For more information, contact Robert Walsh, Regional Coordinator, Lower Colorado Region, P.O. Box 61470, Attn: LC-1140, Boulder City, NV, 89005-2422; phone 702-293-8614; e-mail rwalsh@lc.usbr.gov.

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‘On Golden Pond’ on stage

at the T or C Civic Center

By Julio Mateo

The Truth or Consequences Community Theatre will present its dinner-theatre production of Ernest Thompson's "On Golden Pond" on March 7, 8, 9 and 14, 15, 16 in the Civic Center’s Ralph Edwards Auditorium, 400 W. Fourth Ave. in T or C.

This poignantly humorous look at a couple in their golden years is a loving and graceful appreciation of long lives when lived, and an affirmation of life's continuity through future generations.

Audiences familiar with the film version of the play, featuring Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn, will discover delightful wit, deep warmth and great wisdom in the original stage presentation.

Plan now to attend this most extraordinary theatrical production.

Advance tickets and dinner-theatre reservations are now on sale at Merle Norman Cosmetics, 603 Main St, in T or C; phone 505-894- 7425.

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