Login

Gallup Sun

Friday, Mar 29th

Last update12:57:39 AM GMT

You are here: News Public Safety Weekly Police Activity Report

Weekly Police Activity Report

E-mail Print PDF

Motel Hell

4/12, Gallup

A Gallup man is facing several felony charges after allegedly stabbing the mother of his children and threatening to kill her.

Thomas Dean Lunsford, 31, has been charged with aggravated battery of a household member, abuse of a child, false imprisonment, and interference with communication in an incident that occurred about 9 am at the Microtel Motel, 3270 West Historic Highway 66.

The victim, whose name has not been released, told Gallup police she had left the motel the night before leaving Lunsford with her three children, who ranged in age from one to four years old.

When she returned the next day to pick them up, she found Lunsford in a bad mood, and he started yelling and cursing at her. He began demanding things from her, grabbing her shoes, and then punching her in the face, she told police.

He then reportedly grabbed his four-year-old daughter and threw her out of the room. She said Lunsford then took out a pocket knife and stabbed her in the shoulder.

She said she began crying and tried to get out of the room but Lunsford grabbed her and threw her onto the bed and held her down while at the same time punching her in the face. He then took his knife, she said, and stabbed her in her left thigh and took her cell phone away from her.

During this whole time, she added, Lunsford was continuing to yell at her and saying he was going to kill her and threatening to stab her in other places in front of the kids.

She said she was finally able to get out of the room and take her two youngest kids with her while Lunsford stayed in the room with his oldest daughter. Once outside she got hold of a phone and called police.

Gallup Department Officer Douglas Hoffman said when he arrived on the scene, he found the victim in the lobby and visibly upset with a stab wound in her shoulder.

After talking with the victim, Hoffman said they were able to get the oldest daughter out of the room. Lunsford, who Hoffman said smelled of alcohol, was placed in handcuffs as he and others spent the next few minutes trying to get him into a police unit.

Police found the pocket knife on his person and placed it in an evidence bag. Lunsford continued to be belligerent, said Hoffman, as they transported him to jail.

A face to the fire

4/12, Gamerco

McKinley County Sheriff’s deputies have reported a number of brush fires in recent days, which appeared to be started intentionally. No arrests were made until April 12 when a Gamerco man was arrested after running away from two fires he is accused of setting. He then spat on a deputy when he was caught.

Tony Hayes, 26, of Gamerco, has been charged with battery on a peace officer, improper handling of fire, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

MCSO Dep. Frank Villa Jr. said he was dispatched at about 6 am to Crestview Road in Gallup because of reports of a brush fire. As he was going to the site, he noticed a second brush fire near the first and saw a fire truck arrive on the scene to handle it.

Villa began looking for the suspect and as he was going south, he saw a man in a red SUV pointed toward Santa Fe Street. He turned around and then saw a man come out of a yard at the intersection of Crestview and Santa Fe.

The man in the SUV drove up and confirmed to Villa that the suspect was the man he saw, so Villa detained the suspect, who was later identified as Tony Hayes. The man showed signs of being intoxicated and Villa said when he was searched, deputies found a lighter and a pipe used for narcotics on his person.

Once placed in the police unit, Hayes became agitated, said Villa, and began kicking the unit’s door. He also began yelling at Villa, saying that he was going to kill him.

He and another deputy then secured his feet with a seatbelt but he was able to get out of it. He began trying to spit on the deputies so one of the deputies went to get a spit mask to put over his face.

When she was gone, Hayes became agitated again and managed to spit in his face, Villa said. The spit mask was then placed on his face along with ankle shackles to keep him from kicking at the door.

Throughout the trip to jail, Villa said Hayes continued to be belligerent. Once at the jail, he refused to give a statement.

Villa said the winds were high that afternoon and if the fire department had not responded as quickly as they did, the fires could have swept through the community.

Another scam kidnapping

4/11, north of Gallup

Another fake kidnapping occurred on April 11. MCSO Dep. Jeff Barnhurst said he was dispatched just north of Gallup where he found a very upset woman who was crying.

The woman said she had just received a phone call from her daughter who said she had been kidnapped and asked her mother to help her.

Then a man got on the phone and said if she did not give him $500 he was either going to kill her or take her to Mexico. The phone number for the caller said Mexico, she said. Barnhurst then called the bus barn to see if her daughter had boarded the bus but the woman said she was not sure, “and gave us the runaround,” according to the police report.

The man then called her house and her other daughter picked up and said the daughter who was supposedly kidnapped had come home and no kidnapping had occurred.

Police issued a warning last week that people were calling up people in this area and were pulling this scam, and told area residents not to be fooled.

An eight-year-old biter

4/10, north of Gallup

Sheriff deputies were called to the Chee Dodge Elementary School because of a report of an eight-year-old student there who had attacked a teacher.

MCSO Dep. Josie Bowman said when he got to the school, he talked to the teacher who said the student had bitten and hit him and he was on his way to the hospital for treatment.

Bowman said he then saw the student who was sitting on a chair kicking a wall. Bowman said when he refused to stop, he placed him in handcuffs and walked him to the office.

He told the student his parents had been called and the student responded, “No, my parents are going to be mad at me.”

Bowman said he then told the student that he would take the handcuffs off if he behaved and the student agreed. A short time later, his mother arrived and when she was informed of what was happening, she her son would not do something like that.

She then asked Bowman to arrest her if he planned to charge her son because she did not want this on his record. No charges were filed and she was allowed to take her son home. The boy was suspended for the rest of the school year since he was on probation when the incident occurred.

Another domestic, another motel

4/10, East Highway 66

Gallup police were dispatched to the Lariat Lodge, 1105 East Highway 66, in connection with a domestic disturbance.

Randy Austin, 28, of Gallup was charged with battery on a family member.

When GPD Officer Victor Madrid arrived at the motel about 9 am, he found a 31-year-old Gallup woman who said Austin beat her up.

She said she was lying in the bed when Austin started to “freak out” and grab her. She said she started screaming. Austin told her to stop or he would hurt her. She said he then hit her on the head with a bottle of hot sauce.

Austin then poured hot sauce into her eye and bit her on the forearm. She then pulled up her sleeve and showed Madrid the teeth marks on her forearm. Madrid said he also found the bottle of hot sauce.

The woman asked Madrid to take Austin to detox but Madrid said he was being taken to jail and charged. By this time, police had Austin in handcuffs. Madrid said he asked Austin for his side but he said he did not know what happened.