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WEEKLY DWI REPORT

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Josiah Kiki Pablo

July 1, 7:32 pm

DWI

McKinley County Deputy Johnson Lee said he was told at about 6:49 pm of a possible reckless driver heading west on Highway 118 going at speeds of 100 miles per hour.

Metro Dispatch received several phone calls from other drivers who were tracking the vehicle and Lee was finally told that the vehicle was traveling on Interstate 40, and had collided with the cable barrier at about the 42 mile marker.

One of the witnesses at the scene said the driver, identified as Josiah Pablo, 21, of Thoreau, had tried to hit him and he was very upset. Pablo told Lee that he had more than he should have to drink.

He agreed to take field sobriety tests when he told Lee that he had medical issues, so Lee placed him under arrest. He later agreed to take a breath alcohol test during which he posted two samples of .15.

Melvin Willie

June 30, 12:29 pm

2nd DWI, Aggravated

McKinley County Deputy Cecil Sanders said he was on Breads­prings Road about 12:39 pm when he saw a car fail to stop at a stop sign. He conducted a traffic stop and talked to the driver, Melvin Willie, 43, of Mariano Lake.

He discovered that Willie had a suspended license because of a prior DWI. He also noticed Willie showing signs of being intoxicated. He was told by Metro Dispatch that the license plate was not found in connection with the vehicle.

Sanders said he went over to talk to another officer who showed up at the scene and Willie used the opportunity to speed away. Sanders went in pursuit.

Sanders said Willie was traveling more than 80 miles per hour and was going over the center line, forcing other cars off the highway.

Willie finally pulled over at the 25-mile marker on Highway 602. He was placed in handcuffs. He was asked why he sped away and responded “because I wanted to.”

He declined to take the field sobriety tests because he said he was “too drunk.” He later took a breath alcohol test and posted two samples of .26. He was then transported to jail and charged with several violations and crimes, including resisting arrest.

Selina Lee

June 25, 12:29 am

DWI

City Patrolman Victor Madrid was parked at Cedar Hill Plaza on South Second Street just after midnight when he was told to be on the lookout for a car that reportedly tried to run over Kenneth Cheromiah.

Madrid saw a car match that description drive into the nearby Giant gas station. He went up to the vehicle and was talking to the passenger when the driver got out of her side of the car. He said he noticed that she showed signs of being intoxicated.

Lee, 44, of Gallup said Cheromiah was her daughter’s ex-boyfriend and her daughter was only 17. She agreed to take the field sobriety tests and failed. She was arrested for DWI.

She agreed to take breath alcohol tests and blew samples of .11 and .10. She was given another test and blew a .08.

Cheromiah was interviewed and he said Lee not only tried to run him over but she bit him as well.

Kennard Bennett

June 24, 7:19 pm

Aggravated DWI

City police were dispatched about 7:17 pm to South Second Street because of a report of a reckless driver.

Bennett, 36, of Thoreau was stopped on the 600 block. Police Officer Jerald Watchman said he saw a passenger in the vehicle passed out. He found Bennett to have a dazed look and showing other signs of being intoxicated.

Bennett said he was headed to Church Rock and admitted he had been drinking. He refused to take a field sobriety test as well as a breath alcohol test. He said he wanted a blood alcohol test instead, which is what happen after a search warrant was signed.

Nicholas Garcia

June 23, 6:02 pm

Aggravated DWI

City Patrolman Francis Collins was on regular patrol when he saw a vehicle travel at a high rate of speed and then go air bound when it collided with a curb.

When he got to the site of the accident, he saw the bumper of the pickup about 30 yards from the rest of the vehicle. He saw Garcia, 27, of Gallup get out of the vehicle with blood coming out of his nose.

A bottle of liquor also came out of the vehicle at the same time. Because of his injuries, he was not given field sobriety tests but he did agree to a breath alcohol test during which he posted samples of .17 and .15.

Logan Cly

June 23, 1:05 am

Aggravated DWI

City Patrolman John Gonzales said he was on routine patrol about 1 am on West Highway 66 when he saw a vehicle coming the opposite direction drive up on the concrete medium.

He made a traffic stop and began talking to Logan Cly, 23, of Mexican Hat, UT.

Gonzales said when Cly got out of his vehicle he had trouble keeping his balance, but he did agree to take the field sobriety tests, which Gonzales stopped when Cly almost fell down.

He refused to take a breath alcohol test.

Eugene Eddie

June 23, 3:34 pm

DWI. (Navajo tribal charge)

McKinley County Deputy Sgt. Henio Elreno said he was working saturation patrol on Highway 602 at about the 19-mile marker when he saw a vehicle approaching at 69 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour zone.

As he went after the SUV, he saw it veer off the road and hit a sign post. The driver’s side door opened, but no one got out. He then saw the driver, Eugene Eddie, 38, of Vanderwagen crawl into the back seat.

Eddie then told him that the driver had run off. As he said this, Elreno noticed he had slurred speech. Elreno asked him to get out if the vehicle. Since he had a prosthetic leg and only one eye, he was not required to take a field sobriety test, but he was arrested for DWI.

He was transported to the sheriff’s office where he agreed to take a breath alcohol test during which he posted samples of .07 and .06.

He said the reason he ran off the road and hit the sign was because he missed the brake pedal and hit the gas pedal instead. He admitted drinking a pint of vodka some four hours before he was stopped.

Since the stop occurred on reservation land, he was turned over to the Navajo police.

Blaine Morgan

June 19. 1:46 am

DWI

Gallup Police Officer Iris Pinero said she was in the drive through at the McDonald’s west when the clerk at the drive-up window pointed to the car in front of her, and said the driver had slurred speech and smelled of alcohol.

Pinero said she watched as the driver got on the highway and shortly thereafter, conducted a traffic stop. Blaine Morgan, 32, of Fort Wingate said he was going home and admitted he had been drinking.

He agreed to take a field sobriety test which he failed. He then agreed to a breath alcohol test during which he posted samples of .20 and .19.

Rydell Platero

June 18, 7 :06 pm

Aggravated DWI

McKinley County Sheriff Sgt. Tammy Houghtaling was on regular patrol about 6:53 pm, traveling on U.S. Highway 491 when she saw a car going north, approaching Maloney Avenue.

She said the vehicle was going fast and came to a screeching stop at the intersection. She said she made a U-turn and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. When he was told of the reason for the stop, Platero, 39, of Chinle, Ariz., said he was aware that the light had turned red.

He said some papers were flying in his car and he was trying to get them under control when he saw the light turn red at the last minute. When asked, he was not able to furnish a driver’s license or registration, and his insurance had expired in 2017.

She said she could smell the odor of intoxicating liquor coming from the car, but Platero pointed to his passenger. He agreed to do field sobriety tests and failed. Platero also said he had been arrested a few months ago for DWI but it was on the reservation.

Houghtaling said she located several open liquor containers in the vehicle. A little later, Platero agreed to take a breath alcohol test, during which he posted samples of .24 and .23.

Cory Joe

June 18, 6:14 am

8th DWI

Gallup Police Officer Iris Pinero said the incident began with a the report of a man at a local gas station observed stumbling as he got into his vehicle. Another officer stopped the vehicle and noticed that he had trouble maintaining his lane.

When Pinero talked to Joe, 35, of Gallup, he told her he just wanted to go home. As he said it, however, Pinero noticed that his speech was slurred and he had trouble balancing.

When asked if he would take field sobriety tests, he said no, he just wanted to go home. He said he had not been drinking, but was just tired. He did agree to take a breath test and using a portable breath test, he posted samples of .67 and .65.

Metro Dispatch then informed Pinero that Joe had seven prior DWIs. Because of this, Pinaro transported Joe to a local hospital and when a search warrant was signed, has technicians draw blood for further testing.

 

Candace Peralto

June 17, 3 am

DWI

McKinley County Deputy Jasmine Jaramillo said she’s was at the Dead Horse Saloon in Church Rock about 3 am for a routine business check when she saw a vehicle stop in the middle of the road and not move.

When she went to check on the driver, she said she was slumped over the wheel and appeared to be asleep. The same was true of the passenger in the front seat.

After knocking on the window several times, the driver finally rolled down the window and appeared to be confused. The driver identified herself as Candace Peralto, 29, of Prewitt.

She told Jaramillo that she couldn’t be drunk because she only had two cans of beer three or four hours ago. She also admitted that she was lost because she was not familiar with the area.

She agreed to take field sobriety tests which she failed and was then arrested for DWI. She also agreed to take a breath alcohol test and posted two samples of .08. Her passenger, Brandon Begay, was also intoxicated and he was taken to the Gallup Detox Center.

 

Kathleen Jones

June 17, 2:58 am

DWI

McKinley County Deputy Clayton Etsitty said he was dispatched to the 59-mile marker on Interstate 40 about 3 am. As he got to the area, cars and trucks began honking as if to get his attention.

He finally saw a car that matched the one he was trying to locate, and when he tried to stop it, the driver kept going for almost three quarters of a mile before stopping. He finally had a chance to talk to Kathleen Jones, 47, of Rock Springs, N.M.

Etsitty said he notices signs that Jones was intoxicated, and when he asked her if she had anything to drink, she said she had three beers some three hours before.

She agreed to take field sobriety tests and failed. She then agreed to take a breath alcohol test and posted two samples of .14