Details continue to surface regarding the Lincoln Elementary School teacher who was charged with three petty misdemeanors – all listed as battery in court documents – in Gallup Magistrate Court Dec. 7.

Gallup McKinley County Schools District Superintendent Mike Hyatt told the Sun that Patrice Carpenter had been put on administrative leave.

“We were appalled by what we discovered and saw in this investigation.The safety of our students is our number one priority,” Hyatt said. “This employee no longer works for GMCS … we worked with law enforcement from the beginning of their investigation.”

Hyatt said reports on the matter were submitted to the state.

In the meantime, La...

McKinley County Manager Anthony Dimas Jr. issued a final report Jan. 19 on the two grants awarded from the State of New Mexico: McKinley County CARES Act Local Government Grant ($16.1 million) and McKinley County Small Business Grant ($2.4 million):

“This was a reimbursable grant and the County Commissioner borrowed and budgeted funds from our general fund to get the CARES Act Projects going and we will be putting the funds back once Finance is done doing what they need to do with journal entries, budgets, etc.

McKinley County has received approval from the N.M. Dept. of  Finance and Administration for all pay requests sent to DFA and as of last week [week of Jan. 10] we have...

Clint Hannon

Jan. 8, 11:16 am

Aggravated DWI

Sgt. Tammy Houghtaling was advised of a black Nissan Rogue parked at the Tohlakai Speedway on Jan. 8. The car had been reported as driving “all over’’ Highway 264.

Houghtaling contacted the driver, Clint Hannon, 37, of Chandler, Ariz., who said he was driving to Naschitti, N.M., and stopped for gas. Houghtaling noticed two open 12-ounce cans of beer and one 375 milliliter can of vodka in his car.

Hannon, whose speech was slurred and movements were slow, was not ordered to take a field sobriety test for his safety and he refused a breathalyzer test several times.

He was booked into the McKinley County Detention Center for...

A Mexican Springs man was arrested after reportedly assaulting a peace officer on New Year’s Eve.

Joshuah Povatah, 28, of Mexican Springs, N.M., was booked into McKinley County Detention Center — the same place that he allegedly assaulted an officer.

Povatah arrived at the jail just after 4 p.m. to ask if he had a bench warrant out for his arrest. The officer replied that Povatah could check on that himself.

Povatah then swung at the officer with a closed fist before heading for the doors that lead to the jail itself. The officer pepper sprayed him and “kneed [Povatah] in the face because he was combative.” He placed Povatah in handcuffs and waited for police to arrive for...