The Taos News:
The Taos Police Department is investigating the alleged beating of Taos resident Roy Cunnyngham after a dispute over the placement of some campaign signs.
According to the police report filed May 1, Eighth Judicial District Court Judge Division II candidate Ernestina Cruz was having a “meet and greet” event at Plaza de Colores. At the same time, across the street, Cunnyngham told police he and his wife were returning home from dinner when he found several of Cruz’ campaign signs on his property.
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“Because I didn’t personally witness anything, I can’t say,” Cruz said when asked if she knew any of the people involved in the alleged battery.
Cruz went on to say that the signs were actually not campaign signs, but were placed to direct people to her event.
Splitting hairs.
“The incident was an unfortunate one, and it was not related at all to my campaign,” Cruz said.
“It is unfortunate that this individual chose to remove the signs when they didn’t belong to him.”
What monumental gall.
Cunnyngham told police that he hadn’t given anyone permission to put up the signs and began to remove them.
Cunnyngham told the police that an unidentified old man then approached him and told him to put the signs back and began shoving him.
“All of the sudden two more men showed up and started to hit and shove Mr. Cunnyngham,” Sgt. John Wentz wrote in the report.
Cunnyngham’s wife Joni also told police that when she got out of the car to help, someone held her from behind and kept her in place while the men beat her husband. Another witness, who had also gotten out of the car, was shoved in a ditch.
While the Cunnynghams told police that a small group of bystanders from Casa los Córdovas broke up the fight, other witnesses such as Francisco “El Comanche” Gonzales [A Taos County Planning Commissioner --Ed.] were “standing on the patio of the bar laughing and taunting him after the men left him alone,” according to the police report.
Continued >>>
And the District Court judge wannabe was completely oblivious to the violent scene that took place right across the street from her campaign ‘meet and greet’. Surrrre she was.
A followup article at The Taos News reports additional details regarding the injuries Cunnyhngham sustained:
As in the police report, Cunnyngham confirmed that three men approached him and demanded that he replace the signs where they’d been staked. Cunnyngham said he resisted.
“We were setting them in the car and we’d planned to call whoever they belonged to,” Cunnyngham said. “I told them I thought it was very distasteful to put these signs in front of my property.”
At that point, a younger man came across the street and again told Cunnyngham to put the signs back. When Cunnyngham refused, the man “pounded me in the chest,” Cunnyngham said.
While Cunnyngham says he knows a few of the people involved, The Taos News’ policy is not to identify alleged offenders until they have been charged or implicated by law enforcement.
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What followed was far from a fair fight, the Cunnynghams say. Cunnyngham was later checked out by a doctor who treated him for cuts and bruises, injuries to his mouth and a concussion, Cunnyngham said.
H/T Jim Hoft
Cue Clint Eastwood “Get off my lawn”:
