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Weekly Police Activity Reports

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COUCHED

8/22, Vanderwagen

McKinley County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Johnson Lee said he and another deputy, Frank Villa, were dispatched to a residence on U.S. Highway 491 on Aug. 22 at about 2 am in connection with a domestic dispute.

When the deputies arrived at the scene, they met a woman outside the building. She said she and Jonathan Dayton, 44, of Vanderwagen had been drinking and got into an argument, during which Dayton became very upset and began to yell at her and slam things. The woman said she went into her room and locked the door, according to the report.

The woman told the police that Dayton then began tearing the molding off the door and eventually got into the room. She said she was not injured, but was afraid he was going to hit her. According to the report, the woman later said Dayton was sleeping on the couch at that time and she wanted him out of the house, so the deputies went in and woke him up.

Dayton was asked what happened, and he said he didn’t know because he was sleeping. He was arrested and charged with assault on a household member.

 

THREE TIMES A CHARGE

8/17, Gallup

GPD Officer Jeremy Shirley said he was dispatched to the Gallup Federal Building on Aug. 17 at about 10:30 am in connection with a domestic dispute.

When he arrived at the scene, according to the report, he met the victim who said she got into an argument with Larrison Hunch, 43, of Rock Springs. During the argument, the victim said she was punched three times on the left side of her face.

Shirley said in his report that he spoke to Hunch, who claimed nothing had happened and the victim had just tripped, injuring herself. Witnesses at the scene, however, said they saw Hunch hit the woman, then leave the area and come back a little later.

Hunch was arrested for battery on a household member.

 

CAUGHT GREEN-HANDED

8/17, Gallup

Casey A. Smith, 29, of Church Rock was arrested at about 2 am on Aug. 17 for possession of marijuana and having a warrant out for his arrest.

GPD Officer John Gonzales said he was patrolling on South Sixth Street, when he saw a man fall off a skateboard. Moments later, another man came running up and began yelling at the man with the skateboard.

Gonzales got out of his unit and stopped the fight, according to the report. The man who was yelling said the other man, Casey Smith, had stolen his skateboard. Gonzales said the man appeared to be intoxicated.

Smith then reportedly gave the skateboard to the man after denying that he had stolen it. Smith told the officer he and the other man were friends and had been skating in the downtown area.

At that point, according to the report, Gonzales was informed that Smith had an outstanding bench warrant, so he arrested him for battery. Later, at the county jail, Smith was searched, and guards found seven small baggies of a green, leafy substance that later tested positive for marijuana.

 

SISTER SQUABBLE

8/16, Gallup

A fight between two sisters at a Gallup trailer park led to the arrests of both, not because of the fight, but rather because they had outstanding bench warrants.

Rolanda Pat, 40, and Thomaciena Billy, 27, both of Gallup, were arrested.

GPD officers were called to the Chaparral Trailer Park about 8 pm on Aug. 16, when a resident at the park called to say a woman showed up at his trailer claiming she had been beaten up.

When police arrived, Billy told them her sister had punched her. She added that they’d had been drinking when they got into an argument and began fighting.

Billy said the punch had come out of the blue. She then directed police to her sister’s trailer. When police arrived, they found Pat hiding out in her bathroom.

Pat agreed that the two sisters fought, but said it was her sister who was the one who was doing the hitting. A witness told police both sisters were fighting. Since the two had conflicting stories, neither was arrested for the fight; they were taken in for their outstanding bench warrants.

 

LONG LIES

8/15, Gallup

Tyson Long, 22, of Iyanbito was arrested on Aug. 15 for battery on a household member, when Gallup police responded to a call at about 6 pm about a domestic disturbance at an address on Viro Circle.

Long and a woman had, according to witnesses, gotten into a fight and began throwing potted plants and rocks at each other. At the time, Long told police his name was Marlin James.

Long, a.k.a. James, said he met up with the woman, who hit him with a rock. The woman claimed Long pulled her hair. According to the report, when police arrived at the scene, neither one was fighting, but the woman showed signs of intoxication and Long had a cut above his left eye.

After getting statements from witnesses, police concluded Long was the primary aggressor, and arrested him for battery on a household member and concealing his identity.

 

NAUGHTY NELSON

8/15, Gallup

Alexander Nelson, 34, of Crownpoint, picked the wrong time to get into a fight.

He was being escorted by several GPD officers to district court, when he began to fight the officers, who took him to the ground. Nelson managed to hit one of the officers with his right arm, striking him in the face and breaking his glasses.

According to the report, Nelson was highly intoxicated.

Once he was subdued, Nelson was taken back to county jail where he was charged with battery on a police officer and criminal damage to property.

 

KITCHEN SCRAMBLE

8/15, Gallup

A Gallup woman was arrested for battery on a household member after she got into a fight over cooking.

GPD officers were called to a residence on Second Street at about 5:30 pm on Aug. 15.

Janet Dennison, 47, told police she was eating hamburgers and drinking beer with the victim when they began arguing. She said the man pushed her onto the floor. According to the report, Dennison said her son stepped in and stopped the fight.

The victim told police they were eating when Dennison began accusing him of cooking for someone else. He said he was just sitting there not doing anything when Dennison punched him in the face. Police said he did indeed have injuries on his lips.

The son of Dennison and the victim told police he saw Dennison punch his father in the face. He said his father did not return any blows. He added that he was the one who pushed Dennison, which was how she got on the floor.

Dennison was arrested and transported to the county jail.

 

A PUSH AND A PIPE

8/14, Gallup

GPD Officer Iris Pinero was dispatched to a house on Baca Avenue at about 8 pm on Aug. 14 regarding a report of possible child abuse.

When she arrived at the residence, Pinero met the alleged victim, a 13-year-old boy who said his older brother, Richard Pete, 24, of Gallup, came up to him and wanted to fight. Witnesses at the scene said Pete sprayed water at his brother and then pushed him out of the front door, before pushing him to the ground and kicking him on the chest.

According to the report, Pinero found Pete walking nearby. He had two rocks in his pocket.

Pete told police he was out on a walk to sober up; he said nothing physical happened between him and his brother.

Pete was charged with abuse of a child and possession of drug paraphernalia, as police found him in possession of a pipe when they searched him.

 

DRUNK AND DANGEROUS

8/11, Gallup

A Vanderwagen man was charged with aggravated assault on a peace officer when he reportedly threatened a community service aide with a knife.

GPD Officer Andrew Thayer said he was dispatched at about 3 pm on Aug. 11 to a house on South Second Street because of a report of a man who attempted to use a knife. According to the report, because of the serious nature of the call, Thayer went to the scene with sirens and lights on.

As he was driving there, he was told that CSA Officer Kari Smith had managed to get rid of the knife and place the suspect in her van.

When he got to the scene, Thayer was told Smith had seen the man, later identified as Eugene Eddie, 38, sitting in the south side of Trade Mart Square. According to the report, as Smith approached him, Eddie put the beer down and attempted to walk away.

Eddie showed signs of intoxication, so Smith grabbed him to put him in her van, when he started to fight back. According to the report, Smith had managed to put a handcuff on one wrist when Eddie pulled a knife out of his pocket and attempted to thumb down the blade.

Smith grabbed the knife and the two began to fight over it, according to the report. Smith managed to get handcuffs on his other wrist and removed the knife from his hand.

Thayer said he made several attempts to get Eddie to give him his name, but Eddie refused until they were almost at the county jail. He continued to argue that it wasn’t his fault because he was drunk.

While at the hospital for medical clearance, Eddie attempted to throw himself out of a wheelchair several times, according to Thayer.

Upon receiving medical clearance, Eddie was transported to the county jail and charged with aggravated assault on a peace officer and concealing his identity.

 

MOTEL MOBILE ON THE MOVE

8/11, Gallup

GPD Officer Jerald Watchman was dispatched to the Travel Centers of America motel at about 9:30 am on Aug. 11 in connection with a woman who reportedly stole a cell phone from a motel employee.

As he was heading to the motel, Watchman saw a vehicle that matched the description of the suspect’s vehicle and he conducted a traffic stop. He came into contact with the driver, Joycelene Begay, 35, of Chinle, Ariz., and asked her if anyone had left a cell phone in her vehicle.

According to the report, Watchman found a phone that did not belong to Begay in the back seat of the car, so he asked Begay to return to the motel and get the matter resolved.

According to the report, when they got back to the motel, Watchman spoke with motel management, who said the phone was taken from a cart used by a woman who was cleaning the rooms. Watchman was shown a video in which Begay reached into the cart and took out the cell phone.

Begay was taken to the county jail where she was charged with larceny.