Thwarted Escape
3/12, Gallup
McKinley County Sheriff’s Dep. Nocona Clark was dispatched to Coal Basin Road over reports of a domestic disturbance, leading her to a woman and a “highly intoxicated” man. The man, Gerreitt S. Lansing, 29, claimed that his wife “was crazy and tried to run him over,” according to the police report. The man had bloodshot, glassy eyes and slurred speech, and smelled strongly of alcohol, according to Clark’s report.
Lansing’s wife told the other officer at the scene that she had become scared of Lansing, and told her children they were leaving. Lansing became increasingly angry while she was packing a bag to leave, he braced himself against the door to block her exit, according to the police report. She was able to sneak past Lansing after he turned to reach for something, and ordered her kids to get in the car and lock the doors. Lansing then allegedly began punching the passenger window as she pulled away, and then Lansing jumped onto the hood of her car.
Lansing was booked on charges for false imprisonment.
Family Car Problems
3/10, Mentmore
MCSO Dep. Johnson Lee was dispatched to the 20 block of Blue Eyed Hill Road at 7:40 pm March 10, after a woman there reported that her daughter in law stole her car. The woman gave officers the car’s information, and they confirmed that it was registered in her name. The woman was confident that her daughter in law, Amber Yazzie, 22, would not bring the car back and needed it to be reported stolen.
The woman told officers that the car had a damaged rear bumper and tinted windows, hoping it could be more easily identified with that information.
Animal Cruelty
3/9, Gamerco
Both animal control and MCSO officers arrived at the scene on the 600 block of Rust Avenue over reports of a deceased pit bull. MCSO Dep. Ivan Tsethlikai met with the woman who reported the dog’s death, and who believed the dog had been killed at a different location and then abandoned on the property. The dog appeared to have been hung by its neck, according to the police report.
A red tie was found on the dog’s neck at the scene. The woman reporting the dog’s death said she was unable to fit a finger between the tie and the dog’s neck because it was tied so tightly. The rest of the dog hung loosely off of a gate railing, according to the report. The woman’s neighbors explained that the dog was very friendly, and was last seen alive the evening before on March 8. No footprints or clues were found in the area.
Drunk Roll Over
3/9, Gallup
A roll over crash near the intersection of Highway 188 and Highway 566 brought officers to the scene, who found “numerous open beer containers inside the vehicle and the passenger,” according to the police report. The driver, identified as Irene Peterson, 52, was receiving medical attention. She spoke incoherently, according to the police report, and was unable to answer questions. Peterson’s passenger was transported to the hospital with a broken femur in his right leg, and a dislocated right hip.
The vehicle had crashed after Peterson failed to slow down and made a left turn into a ditch. Peterson had five prior DWI arrests, and was on the DWI felony list. Peterson was flown to a hospital in Flagstaff. Peterson was in critical condition, but stable.
Dog Protocol
3/8, Vanderwagen
No charges were filed but a Vanderwagen man received a lesson in what he can and cannot do if a neighbor’s dog wanders into his property.
Mark Sutcliffe called the sheriff’s office on March 8 complaining that his neighbor, John Wood, had texted him that his dog had managed to get around an electrified fence and had wandered onto his property. Wood got his shotgun and fired off a warning shot and the dog left the property.
MCSO Dep. Brandon Salazar went over to talk to Wood who asked him if it was all right to shoot at a stray dog and Salazar told him that was okay. Wood then talked to his department supervisor who informed him that it was not all right and that Wood should have called animal control.
Salazar said he went back and told Wood of the proper way to handle the situation. Salazar then left but was later told that Wood was in the wrong for firing his shotgun, so Salazar went back to Wood and informed him that he was not allowed to fire his shotgun in that type of situation.
Wood then informed him he was going to file a complaint with the sheriff’s office.
Lost and Found
3/6, Thoreau
MCSO Dep. Ivan Tsethlikai responded to a report of a missing teenage boy, who had a fight with his guardian before fleeing home. The boy was upset with his guardian after she told him to return home early from school. The woman is the boy’s biological grandmother, and is in the process of getting legal guardianship over him from his biological mother. The boy’s mother currently lives in Albuquerque and is possibly homeless, according to the police report.
The boy threatened his guardian with a knife, causing her to fear for her life and leading her to consider pressing charges. The boy had recently stopped taking his depression medication.
The boy was found by a relative several days after the initial report. He had attempted to find his mother in Albuquerque, but was unable to. After their reconciliation, his guardian chose not to pursue charges against the boy.
Shoeless Charlie
3/5, Gallup
Wilenger Charlie’s main problem may not be that he tried to steal a pair of shoes from a store inside the Rio West Mall.
Instead, when he was arrested, police discovered he had 12 warrants out for his arrest from the Gallup Municipal Court.
It all began about 2 pm on March 5 when a clerk at the Shoe Store inside the mall saw a man running out of the store wearing a new pair of Nike shoes he had not paid for. She called mall security, who caught him before he could get out of the premises.
The shoes were recovered but Charlie remained uncooperative and refused to answer any questions, according to the city police report. That’s when they discovered his outstanding bench warrants.
