McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Franklin Begaye was approaching a residence on Chino Loop when he was flagged down by a person who stated his friend had been stabbed.
Begaye checked around the residence and found the victim near a shed on the property. The victim stated he had been stabbed by his roommate at the Sober Living New Ministries. He identified the roommate as Stephan Poncho, 58, of Gamerco. Begaye notified Metro Dispatch for an ambulance and then assisted the victim until Medstar arrived.
The witness at the scene said he and the victim were at the property at about 1:00 am when Poncho came running into the bathroom holding a knife. One man at the scene was able to avoid being attacked, but Poncho assaulted another person in the room. Begaye arrived at the scene after two people fled the house.
One of the men who was in the bathroom had a laceration about four inches long on his upper left arm. The other had a small bruise on his upper left chest.
Begaye and another deputy searched the nearby workshop center of New Life Ministries at 309 Chino Loop where they found Poncho. He was yelling at them as he barricaded himself inside the premises. After the deputies tried to have the manager unlock the door, Poncho exited the room he was in and he was taken into custody.
The knife used in the incident was found at the scene and identified by the witnesses. Poncho was taken to Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services for medical clearance before being taken to McKinley County Adult Detention Center and booked for aggravated battery and assault charges.
As of Nov. 10, Poncho was still in custody on a bond of $3,500 cash or surety.
Staff Reports
