The document summarizes an investigation into the disappearance and death of Sandra Sanchez. Key details: 1) Sanchez was last seen on April 3rd at a Los Lunas Walgreens and reported missing by her family on April 14th. Her ex-boyfriend Joe Easley was one of the last people to see her. 2) A months-long investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies uncovered inconsistencies in Easley's statements and cell phone records placed him and his daughter Jodi at the scene the night of Sanchez's disappearance. 3) Sanchez's body was found in June in Socorro County. Easley, Jodi, and Jodi's boyfriend Cody Morgan have been indict

1. Classified 6B
Editorials 4A
Databank 2A
Days gone by 2A
Deaths 8A
Caliente 1B
Noticias 4B
Record 8A
Sports 9A
INDEX
News digest
Harry Potter Day to be
held at village library
The Los Lunas Public Library is
holding Harry Potter Day at 2 p.m.,
Thursday, July 16. A few chapters will
he read from Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince, followed by a scav-
enger hunt through the library. The
Library’s “Teen Room” will be trans-
formed and decorated into the
Gryffindor Common Room, and the
library invites kids, tweens, teens and
their parents to come dressed as witch-
es and wizards. A prize will be given
out at the end of the scavenger hunt.
Community group to
meet in Jarales
The Jose Dolores Cordova Cultural
Center Advisory Board will meet at 5
p.m. on Thursday, July 16, at the center
in Jarales.
Southern association
to meet at center
The Southern Valencia County
Communities Association meets at 6
p.m. on Thursday, July 16, at the Jose
Dolores Cordova Community Center in
Jarales.
Christmas in July
Christmas in July carnival will be
held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on
Saturday, July 18, at the Moose Lodge
in Rio Communities. The event, which
is open to the public, is to benefit the
Women of the Moose scholarship fund,
and some proceeds will be given to
local schools. Events include games, a
dunking machine, and pie throwing
contest, water slide, cakewalk, a silent
auction, and Santa Claus will be mak-
ing a special appearance. Donations of
school supplies are being accepted. For
more information, call 363-9838.
Car, truck, cycle show
benefits El Ranchito
A car, truck and cycle show to bene-
fit El Ranchito del los Ninos will be
held at 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday,
July 18, at 499 Emilio Lopez Road in
Los Lunas.
CPR class offered
CPR certification classes for young
people ages 12 to 17 will be offered
from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, July 17, at
the Belen Recreation Center, 715 S.
Main St. A second offering will be
from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, July 17. A
$7 fee will be charged to pay for certi-
fication cards. Classes will be taught by
Belen Fire Chief Manny Garcia. To
register or for information, call Millie,
966-2560.
Checkpoints scheduled
The Los Lunas Police Department
will be conducting DWI sobriety
checkpoints and saturation patrols
through the month of July. These
checkpoints and patrols are to identify
and remove intoxicated drivers from
the streets of Los Lunas.
Habitat help available
Habitat for Humanity Valencia
County is offering an opportunity for
families to own their own homes,
which are available now. For informa-
tion or to arrange for an applications,
call 839-3851.
Serving Valencia County
since 1910
www.news-bulletin.com
Call us: 864-4472
■ See Indictments, Page 6A
■ See Agreement, Page 7A
■ See Peralta, Page 7A
Indictments filed in Sanchez death
BY JULIA M. DENDINGER
News-Bulletin Staff Writer
jdendinger@news-bulletin.com
A grand jury handed down three indictments against
three Valencia County residents Friday in the death of a
Corrales woman, 43-year-old Sandra Sanchez.
Sanchez’s ex-boyfriend Joe Easley, 52, of Los Lunas,
has been indicted on one open count of murder in the first
degree, an open count of conspiracy to commit first
degree murder, six counts of tampering with evidence,
five counts of conspiracy to commit tampering with evi-
dence and one count of contributing to the delinquency
of a minor.
Also indicted were Easley’s 18-year-old daughter,
Jodi, and her boyfriend, 19-year-old Cody Morgan. Both
are charged with tampering with evidence and conspira-
cy to commit tampering with evidence. Jodi Easley was
charged with two counts, and Morgan with one count.
The charges stemmed from the investigation into the
disappearance of Sanchez, who was last seen on April 3
at a Los Lunas Walgreens.
Joe Easley is currently being held at the county jail on
a no bond hold. His daughter and Morgan are not in cus-
tody.
The 12-page affidavit for the arrest warrant for Joe
Easley details how the Los Lunas Police Department, in
conjunction with the Sandoval County Sheriff’s
Department and Corrales Police Department, conducted
an investigation into the disappearance of Sanchez — an
investigation that spanned several months and several
counties.
Sanchez’s body was located in early June by three
hikers at Water Canyon in Socorro County, about 20
miles west of the city of Socorro. At that time, Los Lunas
Police Chief Roy Melnick said detectives knew where
Joe Easley was 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but
wouldn’t say what the department’s methods were for
tracking him.
He also noted that Los Lunas police executed about
11 search warrants in this case, seizing evidence from
Corrales, Los Lunas, Albuquerque, Williamsburg and
Portales. Police searched several residences, a storage
unit and both Sanchez’s and Easley’s vehicles. About 10
subpoenas were also executed for cell phone records,
video recordings and bank records.
Easley turned himself in on June 19 and was arrested
on an open count of murder.
Brent Ruffner-News-Bulletin photos
RELAY FOR LIFE participants carry a banner around the diamond at the baseball field at Los Lunas High School on
Friday. About 200 people turned out in an event that raised more than $15,000.
RELAY FOR LIFE
BY BRENT RUFFNER
News-Bulletin Staff Writer
bruffner@news-bulletin.com
LOS LUNAS
Hundreds of Valencia County residents turned out to cele-
brate those they loved, and lost, at this year’s Relay for Life
in Los Lunas.
The event, in its fourth year, was held at the baseball field
at Los Lunas High School, and raised more than $15,000
with about 200 people in attendance.
“(Relay for Life) helps to raise cancer awareness and raise
funds for research,” said Valerie New, an event organizer.
New said the event has raised about $50,000 since 2005,
and has had a lot of support in the short tenure.
“For a small community like this, it’s good,” New said.
“Each community has its own influence. We hope our relay
is fun for the young and old.”
The Los Lunas relay, which had a Hawaiian theme, had
performances by local groups, including Los Lunas cheer-
leaders and volleyball players. Dr. Kristina Trujillo, who is a
cancer researcher at the University of New Mexico, also
spoke to the group.
Audit issue
discussed,
approved by
commission
BY JULIA M. DENDINGER
News-Bulletin Staff Writer
jdendinger@news-bulletin.com
An auditing issue that has been dog-
ging the county for several years was
resolved at the county commission’s
July 1 meeting.
The discussion started off with
Valencia County Sheriff Rene Rivera
requesting a signature on a federal
equitable sharing agreement. “In
October, the county manager would not
sign the agreement and we brought it to
the county commission,” Rivera said.
Undersheriff Rick Garcia explained
that the funds came from auctions of
property forfeited during drug arrests.
Any money made is split amongst the
six counties that make up the Region I
Drug Taskforce, he said.
Rivera said the sheriff’s department
uses the money for officer training in
combating drug crime and equipment
for special operations.
“We need a signature by the govern-
ing body head, which can be the chair
or the county manager,” he said.
County commission chair Pedro
Floor plan
approved for
new Peralta
town hall
BY MELISSA HUBBELL
News-Bulletin Staff Writer
mhubbell@news-bulletin.com
PERALTA
The Town of Peralta is that much clos-
er to breaking ground on a fully renovat-
ed town hall.
The Peralta Council unanimously
approved proposed floor plans of the
future renovated building last
Wednesday at a regular council meeting.
With approval from the council, the
preliminary blueprints will now be sub-
mitted to Construction Industries
Department (CID), where CID will
review the construction and layout
plans.
“Time is of the essence,” said
Construction Manager Chico Orono,
stressing to the council that once
approved, the preliminary plans were
final, and any corrections would have to
be done later as change orders.
A list of additive alternatives was also
written up by the council in case any
funding is left over.
Orono stressed the importance of
ORGANIZERS HELP MAKE a fajita dinner Friday to drum up donations for the Los Lunas Relay for Life.
Survivors rally together in show of support
■ See Relay, Page 6A
MIDWEEK EDITION, JULY 15, 2009
News-BulletinVALENCIA
COUNTY
Vol. 99, No. 55
PETROGLYPH ART
Peralta artist uses
hill for inspiration
¡CALIENTE! ■ 1B
FIVE ALIVE
Quintet of LL teams
heads off to state
SPORTS ■ 9A
FAMILY REUNIONS
One Texas family’s
annual get-together
AMERICAN PROFILE ■ 8
50 centsCopyright © 2009,Valencia County News-Bulletin
★ ★
High, 97
Low, 67
Weather

2. A missing woman
According to the affidavit,
Sanchez’s family made contact
with the Sandoval County
Sheriff’s Department on April 14,
and had her entered as a missing
person in the National Crime
Information Center. Sanchez had
not spoken to her family nor been
seen by them since the night of
April 3 when she was in Los
Lunas.
This was unusual behavior for
Sanchez, according to her family.
On April 18, Los Lunas police
were contacted to visit Joe
Easley’s home and look for
Sanchez. At that time, Easley told
the officers that Sanchez was at
his house on the night of April 3,
and left around 9 p.m. Easley told
police that he and Sanchez had
been in a relationship, but he was
now only seeing her once in a
while.
During the visit that night, a
woman was present at Easley’s
home, according to court docu-
ments.
When Corrales police contact-
ed him the next day, Easley told
the detective that he and Sanchez
had lived together from 2000 to
2005. According to the affidavit,
Easley told the Corrales detective
that he “was in over his head”
with Sanchez.
Easley told the detective he
had not seen Sanchez since April
3, around 9:30 p.m., and that he
was not surprised by her disap-
pearance. Easley told police that
Sanchez had disappeared before
without contacting anyone — a
statement her family vehemently
denies, according to the affidavit.
The Corrales detective asked
Easley if there was a history of
domestic violence during the time
he and Sanchez were together.
Easley denied that there were any
issues.
The detective performed a
records check that showed a peti-
tion for order prohibiting domes-
tic violence filed by Sanchez in
2008 against Easley. The petition
alleges serious threats with
weapons and beatings by Easley,
according to the affidavit.
On April 25, Sanchez’s family
made contact with the Los Lunas
police about her disappearance.
They also addressed her “rocky”
relationship with Easley, the affi-
davit said.
At that time, LLPD learned of
the Corrales investigation and
made contact with the department.
A Los Lunas officer was asked to
visit the Los Lunas Walgreens and
try to recover video surveillance
of the night Sanchez was there.
The Los Lunas officer was able
to obtain a surveillance tape, as
well as a copy of the receipt for
Sanchez’s purchases that evening.
The affidavit notes that Sanchez is
seen on the video leaving the
parking lot of the store and head-
ing in the direction of Easley’s
house, which is several blocks
south of the Walgreens.
According to the affidavit, on
the night Sanchez disappeared,
Easley called her cell phone at
about 9:45 p.m. and spoke with
her for more than two minutes.
Her cell phone records show that
Easley called her on April 4 and 5,
and again on April 9. Sanchez did
not answer the phone on any of
those occasions.
The affidavit goes on to note
that according to her phone
records, prior to April 3, Easley
called Sanchez on an average of
six times a day. On the day she
disappeared, Easley called her 10
times and was on the phone with
her as soon as she left the
Walgreens.
Her phone records show
Easley was the last person to talk
to Sanchez before she disap-
peared.
During a search of Sanchez’s
Corrales home in early May, her
daughter pointed out that there
were items missing that her moth-
er would have taken on a trip for a
night or two.
Police investigation
Police also talked with
Easley’s employer, an
Albuquerque construction compa-
ny. His supervisor and owner of
the company told police that
Easley did not come to work on
Monday, April 6, but called the
next day to say that he was in
Texas for a funeral.
His boss told Easley to take the
entire week of April 6-11 off; he
returned to work on Monday,
April 13.
A Los Lunas detective inter-
viewed the woman present at
Easley’s home on April 18 during
their initial contact with him.
According to the affidavit, she
told police that on April 9, Easley
had spoken to her on the phone
and told her he was being sent
home from work because there
was not enough work for him to
do that Thursday and the next day.
On May 17, detectives inter-
viewed Joe Easley again and
questioned him about Sanchez’s
disappearance. Easley told detec-
tives Sanchez came by his house
that evening around 9 p.m. and
left between 10 and 11 p.m.,
according to court documents.
Easley told police that after
Sanchez left, he called his two
daughters, getting off the phone
around 11:30 p.m. or midnight,
then went to bed and awoke at 8
a.m. the next day. Phone records
show that Easley spoke with his
daughter, Jodi Easley, several
times throughout the night.
At that time, Easley was asked
if law enforcement could search
his house, which he agreed to.
During the search, detectives col-
lected a pair of gloves with dark
hair caught on the hook-and-loop
closures, according to court docu-
ments.
Police found an earring in
Easley’s bedroom, and he said he
did not know who the jewelry
belonged to. The affidavit also
says that detectives found several
“suspicious” stains in the house,
including some on the mattress in
Easley’s bedroom and in the mas-
ter bathroom.
The affidavit says that during
the May interview, Easley men-
tioned going to Texas from April 5
to 9 for a prospective job and
meeting with a potential employ-
er. When detectives spoke with
the man, he said that while Easley
was there, he complained about
Sanchez being missing and her
family blaming him for the disap-
pearance.
The affidavit says that no fam-
ily member of Sanchez’s told
Easley that she was missing until
April 13, when one of her daugh-
ters called Easley looking for
Sanchez.
On May 19, detectives spoke
with Morgan about Jodi Easley’s
whereabouts on the night Sanchez
disappeared. Court documents say
that Morgan told police that they
were at his Veguita home all night
birthing calves. He also told them
Jodi Easley did not make, or
receive, any calls after 11:30 p.m.
Investigators believe, accord-
ing to the affidavit, that Morgan’s
statement contradicts the cell
phone records they obtained. The
phone records show that Jodi
Easley was in Los Lunas near her
father’s house at 10:33 p.m. on the
night of April 3. They also show
that she was on the phone all night
with her father, the affidavit said.
Those same phone records
indicate that Jodi was talking with
her father the day after Sanchez’s
disappearance from an
Albuquerque location. By track-
ing her cell phone tower usage,
investigators were led to a cell
phone tower atop the Hilton Hotel
in Albuquerque.
That hotel is directly across the
street from the Elegante Hotel
where Sanchez’s car was found.
During searches of Easley’s
home, vehicle and Sanchez’s car,
suspected blood was found and
samples were taken. It was ulti-
mately determined by the New
Mexico State Crime Lab that all
the samples were indeed that of
Sanchez’s blood.
An autopsy revealed that
Sanchez died from a single gun-
shot wound to the front part of her
head.
LOCAL VALENCIA COUNTY NEWS-BULLETIN6A July 15, 2009
Relay: Hennington says they need to find a cure, gains strength from event
from PAGE 1A
Indictments: Police allege cell phone records indicate where suspects were
from PAGE 1A
Trujillo told a story of her
friend, Jake, who developed
testicular cancer at the age of
32.
“He should be playing with
his kids instead of fighting for
his life,” Trujillo said.
Trujillo said she is looking at
cells near cancerous ones that
look normal, but in fact, give
signals for those cells with can-
cer to grow and divide.
Deidre Crosby-Stevenson is a
cancer survivor and has attend-
ed the event since it first started
in Los Lunas. Stevenson, 42,
was diagnosed with cancer of
the uterus when she was a
teenager.
“I love coming to this to cele-
brate the fact that I’m still alive
after 24 years,” Stevenson said.
Warren Janke, a Los Lunas
resident, wasn’t surprised when
doctors found cancer in his
esophagus. He said he is now in
remission and goes for regular
check-ups.
“We got it early,” Janke said.
“But I’ve had heartburn all of
my life.”
Janke said he has attended the
event since 2005, and finds
comfort in Relay for Life.
“We are family,” Janke said
of the people who attend the
event. “It’s nice to know that
you aren’t alone. A lot of peo-
ple have this.”
Jennifer Otero echoed those
sentiments.
Otero, who is the librarian at
Valencia Elementary School,
said she has attended the event
after losing several staff mem-
bers to the disease. She said
talk of the disease doesn’t enter
the workplace, but the staff still
supports one another.
“I don’t think we deal with it
at school,” Otero said. “But we
are there for each other.”
Sue Hennington, another
employee at the school, lost her
husband, Rex to cancer in
2007. Rex Hennington was a
former principal and athletic
director in the Los Lunas dis-
trict.
“We just want to find a cure,”
Hennington said. “But you gain
strength from all of these peo-
ple. They just care.”
Hennington said the event is
a time where people that have
lost love ones can take refuge.
“(People) have an under-
standing when they have lost
someone under the same cir-
cumstances,” Hennington said.
“It really helps.”
Corridor study contractor says
project needs community input
BY JULIA M. DENDINGER
News-Bulletin Staff Writer
jdendinger@news-bulletin.com
The Mid-Region Council of
Governments (MRCOG) came
before the county commission
to bring it up to speed on the
Los Lunas corridor study that
began recently.
Special projects coordinator
Loretta Tollefson told the com-
missioners that MRCOG is act-
ing as the project manager for
the Village of Los Lunas. Last
year, the village pursued and
received funding for a corridor
study to find ways to relieve the
congestion on Main Street,
which is also New Mexico
Highway 6.
David Pennington of D.
Pennington and Associates, the
contractor hired to perform the
study, said this was the first of
several briefings over the 12 to
18 months of the project. The
study stems from the Valencia
County Mobility Plan, which
does not specifically address
the congestion on the main
east-west business corridor
through Los Lunas because the
village had already announced
plans for its own corridor study
on the matter.
Pennington said a citizens’
advisory committee has been
formed as part of the study.
“We are looking at existing
transportation routes, concen-
trating on the east-west travel
issues,” he said.
The study area is bounded
on the west by Interstate-25, on
the north by N.M. 6, on the east
by Manzano Expressway and to
the south by Tomé Hill and
Miller Road.
The study is looking at the
Morris and Miller roads area on
the west side of the river as
potential alignments for a river
crossing, in addition to
improvements to N.M. 6,
Pennington said.
“There are several bottle-
necks on Highway 6,” he said.
“This is not just new roads. If a
crossing does advance, we will
look at where it should it go,
what will it look like and how
will it fit into the community.
“We want robust community
input. We are visiting with all
the governing bodies in the
county and meeting with citi-
zens. We want the citizens’
advisory committee to act as a
liaison between the project and
their communities,” he said.
Commission chair Pedro
Rael asked how soon before
Pennington expected to have
identified a specific east-west
corridor.
The consultant said that
about 18 months from this sum-
mer they will have the environ-
mental documentation to pur-
sue funding for the project.
“This is a complicated
study,” Pennington said.
“Especially with community
sentiment being so mixed.”
Prior plans for a river cross-
ing had called for a large four-
lane, flyover spanning the val-
ley. Outcry from residents in
the agricultural areas that
would have been most impact-
ed halted the plans.
When the county mobility
plan was revisited last year,
river crossings that connected
existing roads and featured
two-lane “low profile” bridges
were included. In the past,
Tollefson has said that compro-
mise looks promising.
Pennington said in the
search for a solution for the
congestion on N.M. 6, his
group was asked to look at
extending Manzano
Expressway north.
“That may be a solution, but
it is beyond our capability
without tribal consent,” he said.
“So far the answer has been
no.”
He continued, saying they
had also been asked to look at
creating a connection between
N.M. 47 and Interstate 25,
north of N.M. 6.
“That would be very diffi-
cult to implement,” Pennington
said. “It would mean the taking
of land and houses.”
The options the corridor
study will look at will weigh
the benefits of improving N.M.
6 or a crossing south of there,
he said, noting that viability
and feasibility of any project
would also be a determiner.
“The focus is on an east-
west corridor between I-25 and
Manzano Expressway,” he said.
“There is a lot of the congestion
coming from people making
the commute to Bernalillo
County to work and then
returning home. It is our intent
to come to you (the commis-
sion) at every major mile-
stone.”
Commissioner Donald
Holliday asked if an east-west
corridor doesn’t happen, will
any other roads be improved?
“There may be some relief
there. I know there are some
roads in Meadow Lake that
could use some improvement,”
Holliday said.
Pennington said the primary
purpose of the corridor study
was focused on relieving con-
gestion on N.M. 6.
“We may not look at any
Meadow Lake roads. They may
need improvements, but they
won’t alleviate the problems,”
he said. Pennington added that
the study would mostly focus
on Highways 314, 6, 47 and
263.
Holliday said there have
been plans to widen N.M. 47
and put turning lanes in Peralta.
Pennington said the study
would generate data that can be
used for that project but the
scope of the work for the cur-
rent study was the congestion
on N.M. 6.
JESSICA YOUNG graduated from New Mexico State University this spring with distinguished uni-
versity honors. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with minors in math and physics. She
is a 2005 Belen High School graduate and is the daughter of Bob and Terri Young of Belen. She
will continue her education at NMSU to earn a master’s degree in synthetic inorganic chemistry.
HONOR GRADUATE
Brand New
Apartment
Complex
Affordable Housing
1, 2 & 3 Bedroom Units
Starting at $550.00/mo
MOVE-INSPECIAL!
LAVILLABELENAPARTMENTS,LLC
1020 W. Aragon Road • Belen, New Mexico 87002
(505)864-3669
Call (505)350-0943 • (505)480-7311(Se Habla Espanol)
NOW LEASING!