County jail cell flooded once again

By Jim Maniaci
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — It seems inmates in the Cibola County Detention Center are having an outbreak of "ventitis," or breaking open the automatic fire suppression sprinklers when they converse through the vents between cellblock pods.

This time it was Henry Mondragon, 27, of 800 E. Sage Ave. in Grants, doing the dirty work, but the damage was limited to the cell in which he was incarcerated by himself. Mondragan had been booked on Jan. 5 by an arrest order from the Adult Probation-Parole Office, with no bond allowed.

Lt. David Sisneros said the two standard charges from such incidents would be lodged and he was waiting for the Cibola County Sheriff's Office to book the inmate on the charges of criminal property damage and interference with a fire suppression or bomb detection system in a public institution.

According to the incident report by Deputy Sheriff James McCowen, assisted by Sgt. Steve Marquez, they were called next door to the jail around 9:35 p.m. Jan. 12, which is only four days after the previous flooding incident required cleaning up two pods.

Previously, another inmate said he was standing on the toilet talking to his next door neighbor when he fell and grabbed the sprinkler head, breaking it and setting off the flood.

This time Mondragan, who is 5-ft., 11-in. tall and weighs 295 pounds, told McCowen and Marquez he hit his head on the sprinkler head, setting it off.

Each time one of the sensitive heads gets broken, the entire fire suppression system in the Cibola County Justice Center must be shut down.

Warden Rick Lucero said each replacement head costs about $110 and that a special fire watch must be mounted until the head can be replaced and the system recharged to protect the sheriff's office, jail and magistrate court.


Gun burglary
SAN FIDEL — The Cibola County Sheriff's Office and a saloon owner are looking for a thief who stole a .45 caliber Norinco semi-automatic pistol and a pair of compound cross bows.

Deputy Sheriff James McCowen, assisted by Sgt. Steve Marquez, met with Marty McBride at the saloon near Mile Marker 11 on State Hwy. 124. McBride said the weapon thievery occurred between 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Jan. 11. There was no immediate value available for the gun and bows.