Man pleads guilty to killing cattle and horses

CARLSBAD - A 19-year-old man pleaded guilty Thursday to three charges of shooting and using a knife on cattle and horses in March 2013 near County Road 604. But state District Court Judge Raymond L. Romero decided he needed more information before sentencing Jade Ryan Jenkins, a Texas resident who was visiting family in Carlsbad. He was dove-hunting with friends, both minors, when the group turned their guns on the livestock. The three charges to which Jenkins pleaded are fourth-degree felonies, with a possible maximum prison sentence of 18 months each. The judge ordered Jenkins, who was free on a $35,000 bond, to be taken into custody and committed to the New Mexico Department of Corrections, where he will undergo a 60-day diagnostic evaluation. As part of his plea agreement, Jenkins agreed to pay restitution to the owners of the three cows and two horses. Prosecutor Stephanie Erickson said investigators have narrowed the value of the animals to between $13,000 and $15,000. In delaying the sentencing, Romero noted that the animals were shot with a 12-gauge shotgun and a .22-caliber rifle, weapons that were designed to kill birds, not large animals. Two of the animals also suffered cuts from some sort of knife, and all took some time to die. Romero said the killings showed "cruelty beyond anything that would be considered property damage."...more