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Thursday, Mar 28th

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Yahtahey female strikes parked cars, jailed

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Woman hit cars at Sun Valley parking lot

A Yatahey female, jailed March 19 at the McKinley County Adult Detention Center on abandonment or abuse of a child, driving while under the influence of alcohol, consuming or possessing alcohol in an open container and duty upon striking an unattended vehicle charges, was released from custody March 20, records show.

The arrest was connected to the female hitting a slew of parked cars at an apartment complex.

Valarie Negale, 26, was taken to the McKinley County Adult Detention Center after a apparent evening of drinking. Gallup police officer John Gonzales recorded in a police report that Negale, a former employee at Gallup’s west side Conoco, 3302 W. Historic Highway 66, left the scene of what appeared was an alcohol-fueled accident at the Sun Valley Apartment Complex on East Montoya Boulevard.

Gonzales caught up to Negale and companion Johnny Yazzie at California Chinese, 1020 W. Maloney Boulevard, and made inquiries as to why they were there at 1:30 am. in the morning. Gonzales suspected some drinking and asked each who was driving. He got different responses from both. Upon Gonzales’ arrival, the pair was looking over damages sustained from hitting the parked cars, the police report suggests.

“I did notice (Valerie Negale) sway back and forth and I could smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her person,” Gonzales wrote in the report. “Valerie had a hard time keeping her balance during the instructions (of the test).”

There was a 10-year-old child in the 2016 grey Jeep Patriot that Negale and Yazzie were driving. According to the police report, Negale blew a .018 on a breath test. An .08 is the legal limit in New Mexico.

Negale struck several vehicles in the parking lot of Sun Valley, and left the scene. When Gonzales encountered the two at California Chinese, they were looking at the Jeep Patriot, apparently to assess damages which happened at Sun Valley.

There was not an attorney listed in jail records for Negale. Negale was released from jail on a $5,000 bond.

By Bernie Dotson
Sun Correspondent