BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. — A 45-year-old man accused of shooting and killing three people in Custer County on Monday afternoon appeared in a New Mexico courtroom Wednesday afternoon.
Hanme Clark is believed to have shot and killed husband and wife Rob Geers and Beth Wade, and James Daulton. Daulton's wife was also shot but survived. She was in critical condition receiving treatment at a Colorado Springs hospital as of Tuesday, the Custer County sheriff said.
Custer County Sheriff Rich Smith said there had been a long-simmering property dispute between Clark and at least one of the victims.
"It's an easement that the neighbors use to cross his property," Smith said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference. "So there's kind of an informal gravel road and that's a source of irritation for him."
A fifth person, who was surveying the property off of Rocky Ridge Road, was present when the shooting occurred but was not hit by gunfire. The sheriff's office said that man ran to a home a half-mile away to call 911.
An intensive manhunt was undertaken to catch Clark. The truck he fled the shooting scene from was spotted by license plate reading cameras in Salida on Monday afternoon, the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office said. An emergency alert notification was sent to residents around the Methodist Mountain and Pagosa Springs areas. That alert was lifted Tuesday morning after authorities said Clark was believed to have left the area.
Clark's truck was spotted in New Mexico Tuesday afternoon. New Mexico State Police said an officer used stop sticks to disable the truck and a high-risk traffic stop was performed along Interstate 40 about 35 miles west of Albuquerque.
Clark was taken into custody without further incident, NMSP said. A woman was also in the truck and taken into custody, according to police.
Clark appeared in a Bernalillo County courtroom via webcam from the county jail on Wednesday. He wore a bright orange jumpsuit and did not speak to the judge. A public defender speaking on Clark's behalf said he contested his extradition back to Colorado. The judge ordered Clark be held without bond for 30 days to allow Colorado officials to prepare for an extradition hearing.
The woman who was with Clark when he was arrested, also appeared in court. Nancy Rae Medina-Kochis was being held on suspicion of obstruction of justice, according to court records. Medina-Kochis is also contesting her extradition back to Colorado. The judge ruled she too be held without bond for 30 days before an extradition hearing is held.
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