Gov. Martinez awards Medal of Valor to Correctional Officer Louie Nieto

Category: Local News Releases Local News Releases
Published: 07 May 2012 07 May 2012

ALBUQUERQUE - Today, Governor Susana Martinez recognized the bravery of New Mexico Correctional Officer Louie Nieto today by awarding him with a Medal of Valor for his selfless actions in the line of duty. Late last year, Nieto risked his life to save a fellow Correctional Officer and an inmate at the Penitentiary of New Mexico. On November 20, 2011, a high custody inmate took a female Correctional Officer hostage while she and Nieto were in a housing unit. Nieto was able to remain calm and distract the inmate, forcing the inmate to release the female officer. Officer Nieto then fought off an attack by the inmate. He fought for his life and took several blows before the Emergency Response Team was able to get into the unit and stop the attack.

“Officer Nieto's heroic actions are a great reminder of the strength, will, and courage that is part of the fabric of our state,” said Governor Martinez. “I am grateful for Officer Nieto's brave deeds and I applaud him for doing all that it took to save lives and diffuse a dangerous situation before it got much worse. The Medal of Valor that he has received today is well-earned.”

Governor Martinez awarded the Medal of Valor to Officer Nieto at the annual New Mexico Gang Task Force Conference. The New Mexico Gang Task force is the state's largest, multi-jurisdictional task force focused on reducing gang activity. The Governor stressed the importance of reducing New Mexico's gang presence by promoting a positive and productive environment for the state's youth and working across law enforcement jurisdictions to suppress violence, drug trafficking, and other gang-related activities. Law enforcement officials from around the state are in attendance.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.