KINDNESS BETRAYED
7/22, Gallup
Monte Sam told Gallup police that when Tyler Wauneka, 24, of Gallup approached him about 11:30 am on July 22, asking for money, he tried to be accommodating.
He said Wauneka first came up to him and asked for a dollar so he gave it to him. Then he asked for another dollar, so Sam gave that to him as well. At that point, Sam said, Wauneka grabbed him and punched him a couple of times and grabbed his wallet and took off.
He said he tried to grab his wallet back but he failed. When Gallup Patrolman Julio Yazzie heard the story, he asked where Wauneka Wauneka was, and said that he ran off; however, Yazzie was able to track him down near the 800 block of U.S. Highway 491 and place him under arrest for robbery.
TROUBLING VISIT
7/20, Ramah
It didn’t take Azel Requist very long to get in trouble with the law after he came down from Utah to visit his girlfriend in Ramah.
His girlfriend, April Baker, called the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office the morning of July 20, and when deputies arrived, she said that Requist had arrived the night before and the two began arguing.
The arguing continued the next morning and Baker said it ended with Requist throwing her to the ground and trying to strangle her before he left in an unknown direction. Deputies were able to find him nearby, and when they did, they found in his pocket a small bag of a green leafy substance which had the characteristics of marijuana. They also found a pipe.
Requist, 32, was arrested but as he was being transported to Gallup, he began yelling profanity and kicking the back cage. He kept saying he was going to sue the county, adding that he already had a multi-million lawsuit against the county.
Later when he got to the county jail, he became cooperative and apologized for his behavior.
LASHING OUT
7/19, Thoreau
The McKinley County Sheriff’s Office received two complaints against Carlena Martinez on July 19 – one from her husband and the other from her mother.
When Deputy Jasmine Jaramillo got to the house in Thoreau, she was told Martinez, 37, had locked herself in the house and had out a chair blocking the front door to keep people out.
Jaramillo went through the back door and found Martinez hiding in the master bedroom. She couldn’t get in the bedroom because Martinez was leaning against it.
However, she eventually made it in, and found Martinez. As Jaramillo was placing her in the police unit, Martinez began cussing at her.
Jaramillo talked to both her husband, Earl, and her mother, Loretta Garcia, who said Carlena Martinez pushed her. Earl Martinez told the deputy that his wife had punched him several times as well as bit him.
Carlena Martinez was charged with aggravated battery on a household member. She also had an outstanding warrant for her arrest.
THE REVOLVING DOOR
7/19, Gallup
It began with a neighbor noticing a suspicious man outside of an abandoned residence on East Maloney Avenue.
When Gallup Police responded to the scene, they found Joseph A. Estrada, 25, of Gallup sitting in a car in the house’s carport. He told police he knew the vehicle and the house were abandoned and he needed a place to stay.
When police checked, they found he had two outstanding bench warrants and he was placed under arrest for
those warrants.
It turned out that Estrada was facing charges in magistrate court for breaking and entering in one case and for felony drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia in the other.
He had bonded out in both of the cases but warrants were put in place when he reportedly violated the conditions of the bonds. According to court records, he was released a couple of days later under a new bond agreement. When Estrada’s name is pulled up through New Mexico Courts, it shows the 19 cases he’s racked up over the years.
JAILHOUSE ATTACK
7/19, Gallup
A fight between female inmates at the McKinley County Adult Detention Center led to a report being filed against Danielle Kinsel, 32, of Gallup.
Rosario Gallegos said she was resting in her cell on the top bunk when Kinsel came in and said, “let’s bang.” Gallegos said she didn’t want to fight, but she was pulled down from her bunk and hit her head on the ground, the report states.
They both began to fight, pulling each other’s hair when another female inmate jumped in and the fight ended.
Gallegos claims that the jail did not give her any medical attention and that she was suffering from blurred vision and a sore neck and back. Jonathan Todachine Jr., the deputy who responded to the call, told her he did not control medical issues at the jail and advised her to let the staff know she needed medical treatment.
PUSHED OFF THE PORCH
7/18, Gallup
Gallup Police have arrested a Vanderwagen man for aggravated battery after watching a video of him pushing another man off a porch.
Wilbert Yazzie, 53, was arrested on July 18 after police responded to a report of a man being pushed off a porch on the 1700 block of South Second Street. When they arrived on the scene, they found Joe Brown unconscious laying on the ground.
A surveillance camera in the area showed that Brown had been pushed off the porch by Yazzie. Witnesses who had been sitting in their car and who had witnessed the incident said when he fell off the porch he hit his head hard on the concrete.
Police found Yazzie nearby and he reportedly told police that Brown had been “talking crap” to him. He was arrested and charged with aggravated battery. Police later checked at the hospital and were told that Brown was
recuperating.
I HAVE A KNIFE
7/17, Gallup
Preston Cleveland was arrested on July 17 for reportedly threatening a homeless person with a knife.
The incident occurred about 3 am at Giant Central, 1223 E. Highway 66. Police obtained a video from the business which showed Cleveland, 24, of Gallup standing over the homeless man.
A clerk at the business walked outside and makes contact with him, after which Cleveland is seen taking out a knife and threatening the clerk before leaving.
Police did a search of the area and found Cleveland sitting by the Arrowhead Lodge. As police showed up, he began running away but was captured after a short chase. Police found the knife in his pocket and booked him for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
HE DISLIKES POLICE
7/14, Gallup
A Brimhall man was arrested for trying to conceal his identity after Gallup police responded to a vehicle crash on Verdi Drive on July 14.
When police arrived, there was no driver in the car, but police found tracks leading away from the vehicle. They followed the tracks and came upon a man who began running and was soon captured.
He told police his name was Gerard Jones and denied being the driver of the vehicle. When asked why he ran from police he said he ran because he didn’t like police. Police found out later that his
real name was Gerald John, 23, and he had an outstanding bench warrant.
Since police could not prove he was driving the car, he was charged with concealing his identity and resisting arrest.
