Governor speaks out about threats calling them 'vulgar'
Posted at: 09/14/2012 7:58 PM
| Updated at: 09/15/2012 2:19 PM
By: Gadi Schwartz, KOB Eyewitness News 4 and Joe Vigil KOB Eyewitness News 4
What began as a citizen angered over wandering cows on public land has spiraled into wild, verbal threats against Governor Susana Martinez by a Vietnam Veteran who is now in custody.
Valencia County resident James Sanchez has been charged with harassing the governor after police said he left a series of threats on a Governor's Office voicemail.
A Santa Fe judge revoked Sanchez conditions of release Friday after learning that he continued to make calls after being told not to contact the Governor's Office. Sanchez is being held on a $100,000 cash-only bond.
As Sanchez was led away from the courthouse in handcuffs he told KOB Eyewitness News 4 that he never threatened the governor's life, but was only referring to destroying her political reputation.
"When I am done with her she won't be able to get elected dog catcher in Juarez, Mexico," Sanchez said.
But a review of nearly an hour of voicemail recordings obtained by KOB revealed what some may call threatening messages.
In one such message, Sanchez is heard saying "I was in Vietnam, I killed children, I killed babies but my mission was not so much (inaudible) to help you people, I fed a bunch of your people, but my mission is to take evil out of the world and you are evil."
In another, he said "you mother (expletive), I know where you live (expletive)." He continued, "you send the State Police after me? (Expletive), you better sleep with one eye open mother "(expletive)... Cause we are coming to see you."
Sanchez claimed he has not owned a gun since returning from Vietnam and said the charges have been blown out of proportion.
He's also accusing the State Police of setting him up after posting an political ad attacking the governor and even left a message for KOB's Joe Vigil stating he was going to "expletive her up."
When asked about his language, Sanchez said "how about her colorful language?," referring to Martinez's use of the word "damn" in her speech at the Republican National Convention.
"I was watching the convention and she starts swearing like a drunken sailor on national T.V.," he said. "My grandson said 'that lady said a bad word' and I told him that's no lady, that is the wicked witch of the west."
"She said damn Chuckie, were Republicans," Sanchez said. "Damn Governor, I'm going to destroy you politically. Your going to leave town on your broom Bruja Tejana."
Prosecutors said that after the Martinez's RNC speech Sanchez left two more voicemails for the Governor violating his conditions of release.
Sanchez's attorney tells KOB Sanchez suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
We caught up with the Governor in Santa Fe Friday night to get her response to James Sanchez.
"He rambles. He threatens. It rolls off my back," said Martinez, a longtime former prosecutor.
She said she never talked to Sanchez in person or on the phone.
She told KOB about one phone message where Sanchez threatened her life.
"It was very vulgar," Martinez said. "Obviously you cannot put it on T.V., but he was going to cause me harm. He was going to do it in a bad way. And that he was going to kill me."
Martinez said she's glad authorities are taking this seriously saying you can't go around threatening people without being held accountable.
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