A 33-year-old Clovis police lieutenant has been accepted into the FBI National Academy, an exclusive three-month course that trains law enforcement in administration, terrorism and violent crime investigation.
Lt. Patrick Whitney will leave in January for the academy in Quantico, Va. The course runs from Jan. 9 to March 16, and only two law-enforcement personnel from New Mexico are accepted for each of the two annual courses, Whitney said.
Last year, Clovis Lt. Ron Hutchison completed the course.
Whitney, who is working on a Master’s degree in management, was nominated to attend the course by R.E. “Bart” Bartosiewicz, deputy chief of Clovis police.
“It’s a once-in-a-career opportunity, so I was really happy to be nominated for it and I’m really looking forward to going,” Whitney said.
•••
Jury selection in a capital murder trial involving a Muleshoe man will begin Wednesday at the Bailey County Courthouse.
Larry Brent Kitchens, 51, is accused of shooting three people in October at the home of Vince Simnacher on Highway 746 about 10 miles south of Muleshoe.
Simnacher, 61, Derwin Wyn Beauchamp, 43, and Kitchens’ ex-wife Rhonda June Kitchens, 48, died at the scene.
District Attorney Johnny Actkinson said Kitchens could face life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.
Cops and Courts is compiled by CNJ news editor Mike Linn. He can be contacted at 763-6991 or:
mike_linn@link.freedom.com
