A man found deceased in the Rio Puerco July 5 has been identified as 61-year-old Allen Joe Begay of White Cone, Ariz.

According to Gallup Police Department Sgt. Rosanne Morrissette and Capt. Rick White, two people were walking over Munoz Overpass, looked down and saw a man’s body in the affectionately called ‘perky’ below.

“Sunday evening at about 7:15 pm, police were dispatched to the perky east of the Munoz Overpass in reference to a deceased male lying in the Rio Puerco,” White said in a press release.

The deceased body was recovered and sent to the Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque, where he was identified and the cause of death was determined to be...

Lathan Antone, 25, Crownpoint, NM

Antone was arrested July 5 by McKinley County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Johnson Lee. Lee found Antone asleep behind the wheel of his pickup truck while the vehicle was running but parked in the south bound lane of Highway 491 just north of Maloney avenue. Upon waking him, Antone attempted to drive away. MCSO Deputy Arnold Noriega placed spikes in front of the vehicle to stop him. Antone’s breath test results registered at twice the legal limit at a .16, .17. He was arrested and booked into the jail for aggravated DWI; resisting, evading or obstructing an officer; having an open container; stopping, standing or parking and an outstanding...

After a three month long investigation, the Gallup Police Department Narcotics Task Force was able to secure a subpoena for the Abeita residence and found drugs and money in an early morning raid June 26.

Due to the dangers of the job and the confidential requirements of the Narcotics Task Force, the Gallup Sun will not release the names of the Agents. Agent #1 and Agent #2 were interviewed in a secure location about the June 26 raid, along with GPD Capt. Rick White and other media reporters.

“We’ve had an ongoing investigation on Kristopher Abeita since March,” Agent #1 said. “We were finally able to get a warrant signed, we served that warrant at 3301 Box Canyon Avenue at...

Ryan Westman, 23, of Gallup was a very busy man prior to being locked up in the county jail June 20, subsequently escaping days later, then being caught and locked up again that same day.

More charges are adding up on Westman, who scaled the fence of the McKinley County Adult Detention Center on June 24. He was apprehended based on witness statements and good old-fashioned police work.

When Westman was originally arrested on June 20, Gallup police officers found him with David Martinez, 29, of Gallup and Christina Quintana, 25, of Gallup exiting a reported stolen vehicle at 511 Cactus. Westman was booked on three outstanding warrants, receiving or transferring stolen vehicle...