Brian Edward Morgan

July 12, 10:06 pm

Aggravated DWI (2nd)

McKinley County Sgt. Tammy Houghtaling was requested in the area of U.S. Highway 491 by Tohlakai Speedway in reference to a possible drunk driver. Several calls came in about a gray Ford pickup truck, and off-duty Chief Investigator Merle Bates witnessed the vehicle crash.

When Houghtaling arrived near the 10-mile marker on U.S. Highway 491, she made contact with Bates, who said he had heard the sound of a crash and saw a vehicle parked on the road that then left without its headlights on.

Bates said he followed the vehicle north on U.S. Highway 491, stopped it, and made contact with the driver, Brian Edward Morgan, 34, of...

New Mexico State Police were called out around 4:58 am on July 2 to find a person lying in the roadway in the northbound lane of Interstate 40, around mile post 55, near Thoreau.

The body was identified as pedestrian, Ferland Johnson, 23.  He appeared to have died after being hit by an unknown vehicle, possibly during the early morning hours of July 2.

The case remains under investigation by state police with assistance from the Crash Reconstruction Unit.

Anyone with knowledge about this incident is asked to contact the New Mexico State Police at (505) 841-9526.

On June 28, the New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau was contacted to investigate a use-of-force incident involving an intoxicated male and the Gallup Police Department.

State Police agents learned on June 28 around 8:30 pm, GPD officers were dispatched to the J. C. Penney to remove an intoxicated male. The male was later identified as Rodney Lynch, 41, of Gallup. Lynch was combative with the officers on scene. He was taken into custody and transported to Na’Nizhoozhi Center, Inc.

When they arrived at NCI, Lynch struck one of the officers and again became combative. As the officers attempted to gain control of Lynch, a sergeant and an additional officer, both of GPD...