Latest news with #Merrifield
CBS News
5 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Minnesota saw 2 tornadoes in cabin country during Monday's severe weather, NWS says
See the path of destruction tornadoes left in northern Minnesota See the path of destruction tornadoes left in northern Minnesota See the path of destruction tornadoes left in northern Minnesota Two tornadoes touched down in Minnesota's cabin country during Monday's severe storms, the National Weather Service confirmed. According to preliminary damage surveys from the service, the first tornado touched down at 4:21 p.m. near Casino, Minnesota. It traveled 11.5 miles over 22 minutes before lifting in Crow Wing County between Love and Round lakes. Winds from the EF-1 tornado topped out at 100 mph, the NWS said. The second tornado, also an EF-1 that reached 100 mph, touched down near Merrifield, Minnesota, around 4:46 p.m. It traveled 10.9 miles before lifting near Ironton at 5:12 p.m. Neither tornado caused any injuries or fatalities, the NWS said. Though a damage survey has not yet been released, the NWS said Monday night another tornado touched down in southern Minnesota, just east of Nicollet. Several tornado watches and warnings were issued during Monday night's storms, which also brought heavy rain and hail to parts of the state.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Yahoo
State withheld records in Rio Arriba sheriff death investigation
The New Mexico Department of Public Safety took 42 days — far beyond the 15 days allowed by state statute — to release information this week about the mysterious April death of Rio Arriba County Sheriff Billy Merrifield. Forensic pathologists reported May 15 that Merrifield's Easter morning death was due to the toxic effects of fentanyl and alcohol. Other questions remained unanswered, including whether the sheriff knowingly consumed fentanyl and where he may have obtained it. In the days after Merrifield was found dead in his patrol car April 20, The New Mexican filed a public records request for related police reports and other information. At first, the Department of Public Safety refused to release additional records. Next, it described the request as burdensome, buying the agency more time. After additional complaints from The New Mexican, it released a batch of investigative reports Thursday evening — 42 days after receiving the request. Those records — 105 pages of reports, photos and other documents — show the agency's investigators have not yet determined how Merrifield ingested the fatal dose of fentanyl that caused his death, along with alcohol. The recent secrecy over Merrifield's death reflects a pattern of slow-walked disclosure of public records like state police reports and lapel camera footage, shielding public information on homicides, crashes, police shootings around the state and other public safety-related incidents. The department's initial decision to withhold police reports from the investigation — as well as documents in another unrelated case — appears to have potentially run afoul of state public records laws and a Supreme Court ruling in recent years. Department of Public Safety spokesperson Herman Lovato declined to respond to some questions about the matter in an email Friday, but he wrote each request through the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act 'is addressed individually' by department staff. 'If it involves an active or ongoing investigation, records that are complete will be produced if not subject to an exception, even on an active or ongoing investigation,' Lovato wrote. 'If the records have not been completed because of an active or ongoing investigation, they may be temporarily withheld until completed.' He wrote the department's process 'aligns with New Mexico Supreme Court precedent and the requirements of IPRA.' However, the department's written reason for denying a recent request for state police reports tied to Merrifield's death did not appear consistent with the process Lovato described. In response to a request from The New Mexican seeking reports on Merrifield's death, a staff member at the department's records division wrote in early May, 'this is still a active/on going investigation and I was not given the approval to release the documents as they are still being [processed].' About two weeks later, the department's reasoning changed, with a different staffer writing the request for reports was 'overburdensome.' The records were finally released Thursday after The New Mexican submitted a complaint concerning an alleged violation of the Inspection of Public Records Act to the Department of Justice — and after sending emailed questions about the records request to officials that day. Advocate: Court ruling 'clear' Christine Barber, the executive director of New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, said in an interview the department's initial denial of the request appeared to potentially violate a state Supreme Court ruling a few years ago on the specific topic of records in active law enforcement investigations. The ruling came as a result of a lawsuit brought by Andrew Jones against the Department of Public Safety, which had denied his request for records related to a state police investigation into the fatal shooting of his brother by Albuquerque police officers. Barber said the 2020 ruling was clear, holding that 'the status of a criminal investigation as 'ongoing' does not serve to exempt public records related to the investigation from inspection under [the Inspection of Public Records Act].' 'Sometimes government agencies need to be reminded of the law,' Barber said, noting past litigation between the Foundation for Open Government and the Department of Public Safety. In a 2007 settlement between the department, the foundation and several news publications — including The New Mexican — department officials agreed to provide records like incident reports within the 15-day timeline required by state law. An attorney for the government transparency group said at least one other journalist reported receiving a similar response recently when requesting the reports on Merrifield's death, but she added she did not recall other recent instances of state law enforcement agencies explicitly citing an open investigation as the reason for denying or delaying the production of records. The Department of Public Safety cited the Supreme Court's decision in a letter denying a different request from The New Mexican earlier this year for an incident report in a different death investigation. In the letter, staff acknowledged the court ruling stated exemptions to public records law 'cannot be interpreted so broadly as to withhold records simply due to the existence of an ongoing investigation.' The letter described exemptions that allow for redactions of parts of records, like names of potential subjects and informants, and ultimately stated the agency would withhold the entire report. 'Once the investigation is closed and no longer subject to these legal restrictions, certain records may become available for inspection,' the letter states. Weeks to fulfill requests While records are not usually withheld outright by the Department of Public Safety, it often takes several months to disclose reports from an investigation. In the past two years, The New Mexican has submitted at least 24 requests to the Department of Public Safety seeking reports or other documents such as the agency's written policies, lists of employees or financial data — not including requests for records like police lapel camera footage. The department provided the requested records in an average timeframe of more than two months per request. A little more than half of the requests for police reports or other documents were deemed 'broad' or 'burdensome' by the department's record staff, which allows for delays longer than 15 days. As of Friday, records have not been provided in response to two of the requests. Department of Justice spokesperson Lauren Rodriguez said attorneys from the division that investigate public records complaints had contacted the Department of Public Safety earlier this week regarding the complaint from The New Mexican. The investigators — after being assigned a complaint — usually contact the government agency in question to obtain more information, she said. They are trying to determine if there is actually noncompliance as well as whether the agency's staff knew their actions were out of compliance and whether they acted purposely in denying or delaying a records request. Apart from the complaint submitted against the Department of Public Safety by The New Mexican, the department has been the subject of one other records-related complaint so far this year to the Department of Justice, Rodriguez said. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's office did not respond to an email seeking comment on the Department of Public Safety's practices concerning the release of public records. Lujan Grisham stood behind the department when asked about the issue last year, with a spokesperson writing the governor 'defers to law enforcement authorities to determine when the release of information is appropriate based on the status of ongoing investigations, notification of next of kin, etc.'
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Yahoo
No details on how Rio Arriba sheriff ingested fentanyl in New Mexico State Police reports
A month and a half after Rio Arriba County Sheriff Billy Merrifield died from a fatal combination of alcohol and fentanyl, those investigating his death still don't know how he consumed the drug. An initial batch of reports released by New Mexico State Police this week indicate the agency's investigators have not yet determined how Merrifield ingested the fatal dose of fentanyl that caused his death, along with alcohol, according to toxicology reports. Following the sheriff's death, investigators collected evidence from the scene, including several cellphones, and interviewed the last people who had seen him alive and some of his close friends, the reports show. But the reports indicate investigators did not recover any drugs or drug paraphernalia from the scene of the sheriff's death. Although witnesses noted Merrifield was drinking alcohol the night before he died, several who were close to the sheriff have noted — to the police and to The New Mexican — they had never known him to use drugs. Merrifield was found dead in his sheriff's office vehicle on Easter Sunday, April 20, after being involved in what police described as a "minor crash" early that morning down the street from his home near Abiquiú Lake. A close friend told officers and dispatchers he had come to Merrifield's aid sometime before 4 a.m., just after the crash, in which Merrifield, apparently driving his sheriff's office vehicle while intoxicated, had run over a street sign. The sheriff had been with a woman he had met a week before, his friend told police. The two had been drinking together at Merrifield's home, and Merrifield crashed into the sign just after leaving his home to take the woman back to a house she where was living in Española. The woman — who told police she was from Chihuahua, Mexico, and had been staying in Española for about eight months with family friends while acting as a caregiver for an older relative — had met Merrifield at the bar at the Ohkay Hotel Casino the previous Saturday night, April 12. Merrifield was there with friends, including the man who came to the couple's aid the morning Merrifield died, she said. The woman and Merrifield remained in contact throughout that week, developing a romantic relationship, according to the report. She told police Merrifield had been drinking liquor mixed into a Sprite bottle through the night of April 19 and into the following morning, but he was not "displaying obvious signs of impairment," such as stumbling, and he told her he was "good" to drive her home. After he swerved off the road and struck a road sign on N.M. 96, about 50 yards from the entrance of his driveway, the woman became "scared," she said, and she took the wheel and steered the vehicle back onto the road, according to the report. She looked over and saw that Merrifield was "snoring," she said. Police asked the woman if she or Merrifield had used any drugs, and she said "she didn't, but she didn't know if Billy used," police wrote in a report. Investigators interviewed the woman twice, once just hours after Merrifield was found dead and again May 2. Officers indicated the woman asked if she could return home to Mexico sometime after the second interview. After Merrifield's friend arrived at the scene of the crash early the morning of April 20, he drove back to Merrifield's home and the woman followed him, driving Merrifield's vehicle, sitting on the sheriff's lap because he was in and out of consciousness and could not be moved from the seat, she told police. The friend then took the woman back to Española, leaving Merrifield sitting in the driver's seat of his vehicle, parked in his driveway. Merrifield's friend told police he was going to help Merrifield into his home, but he feared the sheriff's dogs — which were inside the home — might bite him if he did so, investigators wrote. He said Merrifield told him he was "okay," and the friend believed Merrifield was going to get out of the car and walk into his house shortly. The woman told officers Merrifield was asleep and snoring in his vehicle when she left with his friend. After trying to call Merrifield 26 times later that day, his friend returned to his home to find him sitting in the vehicle where he had left him that morning, and he was dead, police wrote. Investigators downloaded the contents of the two witnesses' phones and found texts and phone calls that appeared to corroborate the timeline of their testimony about Merrifield's final hours. Reports indicate investigators had not gained access to two phones that apparently belong to the sheriff. As of Friday, state police had not determined whether Merrifield ingested fentanyl knowingly or where he might have obtained it, the agency's spokesperson, Lt. Ricardo Breceda, confirmed in an email, writing, "investigators are hopeful this information will be learned as the investigation continues." There was no evidence to suggest any other staff of the Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office were implicated, or that the sheriff obtained any drugs in his official capacity, Breceda wrote. No criminal charges have been filed in connection with Merrifield's death, but investigators are "working to determine if any charges need to be filed," he added.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Report: Rio Arriba County Sheriff Merrifield died from fentanyl, alcohol overdose
The death of Rio Arriba County Sheriff Billy Merrifield last month was caused by a drug overdose involving alcohol as well as the synthetic opioid fentanyl, according to reports released Thursday by the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator. The findings regarding Merrifield's death highlight the ongoing crisis of opioid overdose deaths in Rio Arriba County, which has the highest drug overdose death rate in the state. Merrifield was found dead in his patrol vehicle outside his house near Abiquiú Lake in Rio Arriba County on Easter morning, April 20. A close friend of the sheriff told 911 dispatchers he had helped Merrifield — who he said appeared to be intoxicated — get home early in the morning and left him in the driver's seat of the vehicle; when he returned later that day, he said, the sheriff was unresponsive and not breathing. An autopsy report states 50-year-old Merrifield's death was caused by "the toxic effects of fentanyl and ethanol," ruling the death an accident. "A postmortem urine drug screen was presumptively positive for cocaine and fentanyl," the report states, adding toxicology blood tests were requested and reported separately. The autopsy was performed April 21, the day after Merrifield died. The separate toxicology report notes Merrifield's body tested positive for alcohol, caffeine and fentanyl. Additionally, the tests found substances related to the metabolism of opioids. At the time of testing, his blood-alcohol concentration was found to be 0.071, a little below the legal driving limit of 0.08. The level of fentanyl in Merrifield's blood was 23 nanograms per milliliter, with the report noting that in other fentanyl deaths blood concentrations have been reported as low as 3 ng/mL, and that postmortem blood fentanyl concentrations have ranged from 0.30 to 110 ng/mL. The forensic pathologist noted Merrifield's body did not have any significant internal or external injuries. Sheriff: 'Profound disappointment' Current Rio Arriba County Sheriff Lorenzo Aguilar — who was appointed by county commissioners the day after Merrifield was found dead — issued a statement Thursday expressing "profound disappointment and concern" regarding the findings in the reports. "It is essential to emphasize that no individual is above the law, particularly those of us who have taken an oath to uphold it," Aguilar wrote. "While we all make mistakes as human beings, public officials are held to a higher standard due to the trust and responsibility bestowed upon them by the community they serve." Aguilar wrote: "Events of this nature" can "significantly undermine public confidence in law enforcement." "Therefore, I remain steadfast in my commitment to ensuring that all deputies are held accountable for their actions," he wrote. "The behavior exhibited in this case does not align with the values and integrity that characterize the dedicated men and women of the Rio Arriba Sheriff's Office." Aguilar wrote he will "work diligently to restore faith in our office and ensure that we continue to serve our community with the respect and integrity it rightfully expects." Aguilar declined to answer questions Thursday regarding whether any other employees of the Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office had been implicated in the apparent illegal drug use by the department's top official, or whether an internal investigation was underway. State police mum on inquiry New Mexico State Police opened an investigation into Merrifield's death on the day his body was found, but state police have not disclosed details or records of their findings. The state Department of Public Safety has withheld all reports from the investigation in response to a request from The New Mexican, citing the case as an "ongoing/active investigation." State police Sgt. Ricardo Breceda declined to answer questions about the agency's investigation in an email Thursday, noting the investigation is "ongoing." "We contact investigators who determine what information can/can't be released," Breceda wrote. "For similar reasons, we can't release any information at this time." A 911 call placed by Merrifield's friend on the day he was found offers some details of the sheriff's final hours. The man told dispatchers shortly after noon on Easter Sunday he had driven to the area of Merrifield's home in Abiquiú around 3 a.m. to help his friend after Merrifield and a woman had apparently been in a crash. The man said he followed Merrifield — who was driving his patrol vehicle — several blocks home and then left Merrifield in the driver's seat and drove the woman home. Several people have reported to The New Mexican seeing Merrifield the previous evening at a car show at the Ohkay Hotel Casino in Ohkay Owingeh. Merrifield's blood also tested positive for the active ingredients in Viagra and Cialis, two medications used to treat erectile dysfunction, according to the toxicology report. The man told dispatchers he believed Merrifield was drunk, but he thought the sheriff was about to get out of his vehicle and walk inside his house; instead, the friend came back about nine hours later and found Merrifield sitting where he had left him, dead. Persistent opioid epidemic Fentanyl has become the primary target in a desperate fight against a continuing opioid epidemic throughout the state and the country. Rio Arriba County — where Merrifield served as sheriff for more than three years — has the highest drug overdose death rate in the state, in spite of its low population. The county had an overdose death rate in 2023 of 141 per 100,000 residents, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That compares with a national average rate of 31.3. The next-highest overdose death rate in New Mexico in 2023 was Torrance County, at 98 overdose deaths per 100,000; Santa Fe County's rate that year was 58.7. The most recent provisional counts by the federal agency state 46 people died from drug overdoses in Rio Arriba County in the 12 months ending in September. Merrifield's time as sheriff of Rio Arriba County followed two previous sheriffs who were each sentenced to prison during their terms. Former Sheriff Tommy Rodella was convicted of federal charges after he pulled his gun during a road-rage incident and struck another man with his badge. Following Rodella, Sheriff James Lujan was convicted of aiding a felon and intimidating a witness after an incident involving former Española City Councilor Philip Chacon. Merrifield testified as a witness in Lujan's trial, and he was appointed interim sheriff after Lujan resigned. He was elected to the role in 2022. Some Española Valley residents expressed shock over the findings. Former Española City Councilor Dennis Tim Salazar said he knew Merrifield for years and played basketball alongside the former sheriff on a recreational team earlier this year. They played their last game one week before Merrifield was found dead, he said. He said Merrifield was "a wonderful guy" who is "very much missed." "Those words — fentanyl and Billy — they just don't go together, and it really makes me wonder if there might be more to it," Salazar said of his friend's death. "It just doesn't make sense at all."
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Rio Arriba County Sheriff Billy Merrifield died of fentanyl, alcohol toxicity
May 15—Former Rio Arriba County Sheriff Billy Merrifield died last month due to the toxic effects of fentanyl and ethanol, according to an autopsy report released by the New Mexico Office of the Medical Examiner Thursday morning. The report concludes Merrifield died by "accident" due to the combined effects of the substances. According to the autopsy, Merrifield had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.071 and 23 nanograms per millimeter of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid known for being 50 to 100 times as powerful as morphine. The drug has become widely known to New Mexicans and Americans in recent years for its high risk of addiction and overdose. Merrifield's body was found in his patrol vehicle outside his home overlooking Abiquiu Reservoir on Easter Sunday, April 20. New Mexico State Police handled the preliminary investigation and said the former Rio Arriba top cop had died "unexpectedly." Merrifield was 50. According to a January report from the New Mexico Department of Health, fentanyl was involved in 65% of overdose deaths in the state in 2023. However, overall overdose deaths have declined 8% statewide since 2021, when they reached a peak of 1,029. This is a developing story.
