Staff Reports
New Mexico State Police officers are out in force this holiday season, we encourage everyone to not drink and drive, and arrive safely.
On Dec. 14, around 12:05 pm New Mexico State Police Officer Toadacheenie made a traffic stop for a registration violation. The violation occurred on U.S. 64 near mile post 31, however the violator continued driving until he reached the Navajo Reservation. The driver James Lee was charged with Driving while Under the Influence, Driving While License Revoked and Unreadable Registration. A warrant has been issued for these charges by the Eleventh District Attorney's Office.
Fast-forward six days ...
On Dec. 20, around 9:51 am, Lee was...

ALCOHOL APPEARS TO BE A FACTOR IN CRASHStaff ReportsKIRTLAND – On the start of Christmas Eve, at about 1:46 am, New Mexico State Police were notified of a crash near the intersection of U.S. 64 milepost 42 and County Road 6500 in Kirtland, N.M.  The crash involved a Commercial Motor Vehicle and a sport utility vehicle with multiple occupants.

Officers arrived on scene and learned that the 2018 Kenworth CMV was approaching a red light at the intersection and had begun to slow. The CMV was struck from behind by a 2016 Buick Sport utility vehicle traveling west, in the same direction.  Indicators at the scene show no signs of skid marks or braking prior to the impact.

The driver of the...

McKinley County Sheriff’s Office Dep. Johnson Lee was dispatched to the Alonzo Court area in Thoreau on Dec. 17 after reports that a group of people were yelling out plans to burn down a house in the trailer park. The report came in at about 1:48 am. Lee spoke to a resident of the park at the scene, who pointed him to a nearby trailer as the source of the noise.

Lee approached and entered the trailer. When he opened the door, he encountered a man, 50, with a swollen bloody face, who claimed to have been “jumped” two hours prior by two younger men. The suspects also stole $20 off of the victim, according to the police report. The victim could not identify for police who it was...

Carmelita Ann Darwin

Dec. 7, 10:44 pm

1st DWI, Aggravated

It was late at night on U.S. Highway 66 when a vehicle ran a stoplight and almost hit Gallup Police Department Officer Victor Madrid’s patrol car. When Madrid pursued the vehicle to conduct a traffic stop, he noticed it swerving side to side and traveling northbound in the southbound lane, according to the police report.

The car came to a stop at Boyd Avenue and Patton Drive, where Madrid encountered Darwin, 41, whose breath smelled strongly of alcohol, according to the police report. Madrid asked Darwin for her license and registration but she “was eating McDonalds fries and did not answer [him] back,”...