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DIAMOND BAR CATTLE COMPANY Federal judge keeps Laney from returning home Jun 10, 2004, 19:52 A federal judge still will not let Kit Laney return home. The rancher "can't go to Catron County," Judge John Conway's administrative assistant told the Daily Press. Laney, since his April 8 release from jail, has been under court order to steer clear of his Diamond Bar Ranch in the Gila National Forest. Conway last week continued Laney's case until Aug. 10 in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque. The rancher was arrested March 14 on five counts of assault on federal officers and three counts...

DIAMOND BAR CATTLE COMPANY On June 1st, the US Attorney filed a motion with the court seeking $229,667.34 in damages against Kit and Sherry Laney. The breakdown was as follows: Impoundment and Sales Costs..........$408,014.42, Unathorized Grazing Fees...............23,448.10, Credits (livestock sale and..............(200,850.50), (deceased cattle).........................(994.68), Net Damages as of 5/31/04............$229,667.34

LAS CRUCES— It took three tries, but embattled Catron County rancher Kit Laney on Tuesday finally won release from jail pending his trial on federal assault and obstruction of justice charges. Senior U.S. District Judge John Edwards Conway granted a defense motion to release Laney into the custody of Otero Mesa rancher Bob Jones, but it won't happen until next week when a court-ordered roundup of the rancher's cattle will be roughly 95 percent complete. Jones' ranch is more than a five-hour drive east of the Diamond Bar allotment in the Gila National Forest. Laney will be released at...

LAS CRUCES— Rancher Kit Laney remained behind bars Wednesday after a federal judge refused a second request to release him pending a trial on charges that he assaulted Forest Service officers. Federal Magistrate Judge Karen Molzen said she remained concerned that Laney would return to his Diamond Bar grazing allotment in the Gila National Forest and try to disrupt a court-ordered roundup of his cattle. The original two charges against the southwestern New Mexico cattleman multiplied when a grand jury on Tuesday handed down an eight-count indictment, including two counts of obstruction of justice, five counts of assaulting and interfering...

Catron County Rips Environmentalists Over Laney Cattle By Rene Romo Journal Southern Bureau LAS CRUCES— The Catron County Commission has weighed in on the controversy over the Forest Service's impoundment of cattle belonging to rancher Kit Laney with a verbal blast at environmentalists. In a statement released Monday, Catron County's three commissioners blamed environmentalists for applying the pressure that led the Forest Service in the mid-'90s to reduce the number of cattle that ranchers Kit Laney and his ex-wife Sherry Farr were allowed to graze on the Diamond Bar allotment in the Gila National Forest. The reduction in the number...

Sunday, March 21, 2004 DIAMOND BAR CATTLE COMPANY/JOE DELK LETTERS Joe Delk, Member New Mexico Livestock Board PO Box 879 March 19, 2004 Mesilla Park, NM 88047 Daniel Manzanares, Executive Director New Mexico Livestock Board 300 San Mateo NE, Ste 1000 Albuquerque, NM 87108 Dear Daniel, Accompanying this letter is a report I made to Mr. Steve Libby with the US Forest Service, as a follow-up to a personal visit I made to the Beaverhead Ranger Station on Wednesday, March 17, 2004. Mr. Libby expressed to me, his gratitude for the help and cooperation he has received from you and...

SHERRY FARR-LANEY PRESS RELEASE Press Release 3-20-04 349 words Sherry Farr – Laney 505-772-5535 It has come to my attention that various USFS personnel are making claims of harassment against people who may be supporting us in our battle with the USFS over the legality of the impoundment of our cattle. Neither Kit nor I will ever condone any threats or intimidating tactics made in our name. Anyone who is capable of committing such atrocities is likely only trying to make us look bad and make an already bad situation much worse. These people should see the inside of a...

Sunday, March 14, 2004 Regrettable Roundup By Rene Romo Journal Staff Writer GILA NATIONAL FOREST— Millions of dollars in debt, his cattle in the process of being impounded by the U.S. Forest Service, rancher Kit Laney said Friday his fight to establish his grazing rights in the national forest is not yet over. "We got two options. We fight, or we walk off with nothing," said the 43-year-old Laney, a battered black hat on his head as he stood near his home in Black Canyon on a chilly Friday afternoon with his wife, Sherry, 42. "Every day they are violating...

Saturday, February 28, 2004 Roundup Shuts Gila Forest Site By Richard Benke The Associated Press Gila National Forest officials say they're closing the Diamond Bar allotment to the public this weekend to allow a contractor to prepare for a roundup and impoundment of all cattle on federal land used by the ranch. "The area closure goes into effect tomorrow," Gila public affairs officer Andrea Martinez said Friday. "That's to allow the contractors to begin their preparation." A contractor who would round up more than 400 cattle from the Diamond Bar was found during the past week, she said. The preparations...