ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) An Albuquerque court hearing on fraud charges against a Torrance County official and a contractor is closed to the public. State District Court Judge Kenneth Martinez closed the preliminary hearing for Torrance County Manager Joy Ansley and contractor Christopher M. Valdez and sealed records in the case. The hearing began Monday.
Preliminary hearings are court proceedings where prosecutors present evidence for a judge to decide whether defendants should go proceed to trial.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that a reporter for the newspaper was in the courtroom before the hearing started but was escorted out by sheriff's deputies. The Albuquerque Journal reports that it and the Mountain View Telegraph and KRQE-TV filed an emergency motion late Monday to open the courtroom to the public and to unseal the court file.
