Two separate calls to Metro Dispatch about a white truck led to one man being arrested for a DWI. When he was taken to the McKinley County Adult Detention Center, officers found he had some marijuana, too.
On April 21 around 7:30 pm McKinley County Metro Dispatch received a call about a possible drunk driver. The caller said a white GMC Sierra with an Arizona plate was swerving and speeding while heading northbound approaching Metro Avenue and U.S. Highway 491. The caller watched the truck turn into the Heritage Speedway in Gallup.
McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Terence Willie told Metro Dispatch that he would head to the truck’s location. While Willie was on his way, Metro Dispatch received another call about the same truck.
Willie saw a truck that matched the description parked on the north side of the Speedway Store at 990 U.S. Hwy. 491 in Gallup around 7:46 pm. He met with the man inside, who was later identified as Shawn Slim, 26, of Window Rock, Ariz. Slim was sitting in the driver’s seat and the engine was on with the keys in the ignition.
Willie introduced himself and noticed that Slim’s eyes were bloodshot and watery. According to the report he filed with the McKinley County’s Sheriff’s Office, Willie could smell alcohol wafting off of Slim.
Willie asked the man if he had drunk any alcoholic beverages, to which Slim replied that he hadn’t. Willie noticed that the man slurred his speech when he answered him.
The deputy informed Slim that Metro Dispatch had received two separate calls about his truck. He asked Slim to turn off the engine and hand him the keys. When Slim got out of the truck Willie noticed he staggered.
Willie again asked Slim if he had been drinking, and the man said no. When the deputy asked him where he was going and where he was coming from, Slim said he didn’t have to answer.
Slim refused to take the standard field sobriety tests, and then Willie told him he was under arrest. When Willie attempted to put handcuffs on him, Slim tried to pull away. When Willie put him in the back of his patrol car, Slim bumped his head on the door, but he wasn’t injured.
When Willie was completing a tow sheet, he spotted two miniature bottles of Smirnoff in the GMC. He didn’t find any vehicle insurance or registration in the truck.
Willie drove Slim to the McKinley County Adult Detention Center where he was booked with an aggravated DWI, no registration, no insurance, and open container.
While Slim was being processed, a corrections officer found a small amount of marijuana on him. Willie collected the marijuana and logged it into evidence at the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office.
By Molly Adamson
Sun Correspondent
