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CHILD ABANDONMENT

Gallup, March 24

A Gallup woman who called police to report a domestic disturbance found herself in jail a couple of hours later for abandonment of a child.

Brittany Tsosie, 20, had called police at 7:30 pm on March 24 to complain about how she was treated by her mother and two other women earlier in the day. She said the four got into an argument about her baby.

As Patrolman Patrick Largo was interviewing Tsosie, he began seeing signs she may have been intoxicated and found out that she was taking care of her baby by herself at the time. He asked how much she had to drink and she said that she only had two beers because she was taking care of her child.

Largo called for a portable breath alcohol machine and when it came, Tsosie agreed to submit a sample. She blew a .189 and was arrested. She gave police the phone number of her aunt, who agreed to come and take care of the baby.


PARKING LOT BREAK-IN

Gallup, March 24

A Window Rock man had his car broken into on March 24 while he was inside Walmart to pick up his girlfriend who worked there.

Artremis Yazzie told police he was in the store for about half an hour. When he came back to his car, he discovered that a side window had been broken and his MacBook Pro, valued at $1,500 was missing as well as some other electronic gear he had.

A check of the surveillance tape showed that a silver car had parked next to his. Someone hopped out of the vehicle and a few minutes later hopped back in and the car left the parking lot.

There are no suspects.


ALLEGED STABBING ATTEMPT

Gallup, March 24

Gallup Police are investigating a reported robbery and a possible stabbing attempt that occurred about 10 pm in downtown Gallup.

Gallup Patrolman Jerald Watchman said he interviewed Lorenzo Yazzie, who lives in Navajo.

Yazzie told him he was either following or walking with the man near Sammy C’s Restaurant. Watchman said it was difficult to follow what Yazzie was saying since he was slurring his words and appeared to be intoxicated.

Yazzie said the man showed him a knife and he gave the man his backpack. The man did not ask for the backpack, Yazzie said, but he voluntarily turned it over to him.

A search of the area turned up no suspects.


ATTEMPTED LAUNDROMAT ROBBERY

Thoreau, March 24

A Prewitt man is facing attempted robbery charges after he reportedly tried to hold up a Thoreau laundry on March 24.

McKinley County Deputy Jeff Barnhurst said he was dispatched to the D&J Laundry on State Highway 371 about 1:30 pm. When he got there, he was told the owner of the business, Jimmie Cotant, was following the suspect.

Barnhurst found the the two men walking along Highway 371.

He talked first to Alvin Delgarito, 29, who said the man following him had accused him of trying to kill someone. When asked what had happened at the laundry, he said he had only gone in to charge his cell phone.

Employees at the laundry said Delgarito showed up and asked how much money was in the cash box. When he was asked what he was talking about, the employees said Delgarito demanded all of the money in the cash box and showed the brown handle in his pocket, making it look like a knife.

The clerk said she was scared, but told Delgarito he had to leave. She said she then escorted him out of the business. When Cotant was told what happened, he began following the man.

When he was searched for weapons, Delgarito only had a cell phone and a brown handle from a paint brush. Delgarito was detained and placed in the police unit.


CAR BREAK-IN

Gallup, March 23

A Mesa, Ariz. man told Gallup police on March 23 that his car had been burglarized while he was staying at a Gallup motel.

Alvin Spencer Jr. told police that he had stayed overnight at the Red Roof Inn on West Highway 66, planning to leave for an archery competition at 5 pm.

He had just gotten up when he heard a car alarm go off in the parking lot and when he looked out his window, he saw that his automobile had been broken into and his two bows, each valued at $500, had been taken along with some tools that were in his car.

There are no suspects.


PURSE THEFT

Gallup, March 22

Gallup Police are investigating a report of a car that was broken into late on March 22, or the early morning hours of March 23, while it was in the parking lot at Days Inn on west Highway 66.

Police said the suspect broke one of the windows to the car and had stolen two purses that were inside the vehicle at the time.

The purses contained credit cards and the owners checked their credit card company and found that someone had tried to use the cards several times during the night. It had been declined four times, but the suspect was able to use it three times to purchase items valued at between $17 and $19.

There are no suspects.


SHOPLIFTER FOILED

Gallup, March 22

A Newcomb woman was cited in Gallup Municipal Court for shoplifting after being observed leaving Walmart with merchandise stuffed into her purse and concealed on her person, that she had not paid for.

A security guard at the store said on March 22, that he observed Jessica Leah Begay, 31, take items off the shelves and conceal them. He then said he watched Begay leave the store without paying for the items.

Begay was brought back into the store, where store officials reportedly found some $82 in merchandise in her handbag, that she had not paid for. According to the report, she was very cooperative.


ALLEGED CARTEL MEMBER CAUGHT

Gallup, March 22

A Vanderwagen man was charged with aggravated battery on March 22 after he reportedly attacked a woman walking near the Trade Mart Square.

Patrolman Francis Collins said he was dispatched to the area about 4 pm after community service aides said they noticed a man trying to keep a woman from going onto the highway. They detained the man, who was identified as Alexander Lester Johnson, 31, because he was disorderly and intoxicated.

The woman told Collins she was walking in the area when a man she did not know approached her, and began hitting her and dragging her away. He placed his hand over her mouth, she said, so she could not call for help.

The man then put a knife to her throat and said “I am with the cartel.” She managed to get away and as she walked away, the community service aides came to her rescue.

Collins said he talked to Johnson, who told him nothing happened. He refused to say how long he was with the woman or give any kind of statement except to say he was with the cartel.

Collins said he observed that the woman’s face was badly injured.


DOUBLE BICYCLE THEFT

Gallup, March 21

Gallup Police are investigating the theft of two bicycles, one of them valued at $4,500 from a Gallup residence on March 21.

The theft was reported to police by Michael King on March 22.  He said a surveillance video showed a man walking up to the garage at his residence on Yei Avenue about 4:22 pm, removed one of the bikes and rode away with it.

He said the garage door was up at the time. He added,  he was not sure when the second bike was stolen.

The video indicated that the man was Native American in his late teens or early 20s. He was wearing basketball shorts.