Museum unveils restored Tucumcari Motel sign

The New Mexico Route 66 Museum in Tucumcari on Monday officially unveiled the restored Tucumcari Motel neon sign. Here's a brief Facebook video of the unveiling: Eight Ball Engineering in Clovis, New Mexico, restored the sign’s paint. Wellborn Sign Company in Amarillo, Texas, restored the neon. To show you how far the sign has come, … Continue reading Museum unveils restored Tucumcari Motel sign

Tucumcari Motel sign emerges from the ashes

The last time most people saw the old Tucumcari Motel sign near downtown Tucumcari, New Mexico, the long-closed business was destroyed by a suspected arson fire about three years ago. Because it stood about 20 feet from the building, the fire left the neon sign for the motel unscathed. Locals hauled away the sign a few … Continue reading Tucumcari Motel sign emerges from the ashes

City of Tucumcari, police sued over 2014 arson fires

The city of Tucumcari, New Mexico, and six of its cops recently were slapped with a lawsuit over a former fellow police officer who ended up in prison for torching a closed Route 66 motel and an abandoned house. Courthouse News Service reports the plaintiffs allege nepotism and a lack of screening while hiring now-disgraced officer Dustin Lopez, … Continue reading City of Tucumcari, police sued over 2014 arson fires

Former Tucumcari cop gets 4 1/2 years for arsons

A former police officer was sentenced last week to 4 1/2 years in prison for his role in two arson fires in Tucumcari, New Mexico, last year, including a closed motel on Route 66, according to the Quay County Sun. Dustin "Dusty" Lopez, the former officer, and co-defendant Robert Sandoval were sentenced for fires at … Continue reading Former Tucumcari cop gets 4 1/2 years for arsons

Former cop pleads guilty to Tucumcari motel arson

A former police officer and another man pleaded guilty Friday to arson charges in burning down the closed Payless Inn on Route 66 and an abandoned house in Tucumcari, New Mexico, on Sept. 3, according to the Quay County Sun newspaper and other media outlets. Dustin “Dusty” Lopez, the former Tucumcari officer, and Robert Sandoval … Continue reading Former cop pleads guilty to Tucumcari motel arson

Tucumcari cop implicated in arson probe

A man who recently resigned from the Tucumcari, New Mexico, Police Department is the subject of an investigation into several arson fires last month, reported the Quay County Sun, including those that destroyed the long-closed Payless Inn on Route 66 and the closed Tucumcari Motel on old U.S. 54. Dustin Lopez quit the force the … Continue reading Tucumcari cop implicated in arson probe

Tucumcari Motel destroyed; apparent arsonist on the loose

The long-abandoned Tucumcari Motel near downtown Tucumcari, New Mexico, was destroyed by fire Friday -- the third suspicious fire in less than a week. The motel never was on Route 66, but it and its worn-down neon sign often was photographed by roadies who'd stumbled onto it. The motel was in a two-story structure at … Continue reading Tucumcari Motel destroyed; apparent arsonist on the loose