Lane Begaye
Aug. 28, 5:32 am
Aggravated DWI (Third)
A gray Honda positioned for a turn at the intersection of Ford Avenue and Highway 66 did not respond to a solid green light or a left arrow. Gallup Police Officer Dominic Molina pulled up to the car and looked inside. He saw the driver slouched over asleep at the wheel with the vehicle in drive. The driver’s foot was on the brake pedal. The doors were locked. Molina saw a half-empty bottle of Kinky liquor in the center console.
A driver behind the Honda had been flashing its lights and honking its horn.
Officer Jarad Albert arrived with stop sticks. As Molina went to get a kit to unlock the car, the Honda started moving forward, traveling south through the intersection from Miyamura overpass. Because of the stop sticks, the front tires deflated and the car drove into the north bound lane onto the sidewalk where it almost struck the wall of Dynamite furniture.
Molina unlocked the vehicle and put the car in park. Albert and Officer Warren Bowannie placed the driver in handcuffs. He was identified as Lane Begaye, 27, of Gamerco. Begaye smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.
Begaye did not cooperate and refused the sobriety tests. However, he agreed to take a breath test and was taken to Gallup Police Department, where he posted samples of .19 and .20. He was booked for Aggravated DWI, Possession of an alcoholic beverage in an open container in a motor vehicle and driving on a revoked license.
He had two prior DWI convictions based on his driving record. He also had a suspended revoked driver’s license.
He was then taken to McKinley County Adult Detention Center and booked for aggravated DWI, having an open container, and a suspended license.
Begaye was released on his own recognizance by Judge Robert Ionta.
Shandine Yazzie
Aug. 26, 7:58 pm
Aggravated DWI
A hit and run was called into Metro Dispatch, leading Gallup Police Officer Michael Eley and Sgt. Neil Yazzie to the area of Burke Drive and Utah Circle.
Neil Yazzie arrived first and detained, Shandine Yazzie, 25, of Gallup. At first she gave the name “Pamela” Yazzie. But her registration revealed the correct identification. When Eley arrived, he found a 2017 silver Nissan sitting halfway on the road and halfway over the curb in the dirt with airbags deployed and damage to its side and front. He spoke with a witness who had seen Yazzie strike a mailbox and a curb, where the car stopped.
Eley met Yazzie, who had blood on her right biceps area and left knee. She refused to take the Standard Field Sobriety Tests and became uncooperative and also refused treatment. She became aggressive and kicked Eley in the left shinbone area with her foot. She refused any medical treatment.
She had slurred speech and blood shot eyes and Eley smelled a faint odor of alcohol. She also refused to submit to a breath test. Another officer searched her vehicle and found an open can of Old English beer under the seat.
When she was taken for medical clearance she was disruptive with the medical staff at Gallup Indian Medical Center. After obtaining clearance, Eley was informed by a second witness that Yazzie had left a nearby store and struck their vehicle with hers. Shandine Yazzie denied hitting the parked car at Lowes Uptown. She stated the damage on her vehicle was from previous collisions.
Yazzie was taken to McKinley County Adult Detention Center and booked for aggravated DWI, assault on a peace officer, no license or insurance, striking fixtures, and careless driving. She also had an open warrant through Magistrate Court.
Yazzie was released on her own recognizance by Judge Janelle Griego.
Henrietta Chee
Aug. 16, 1:25 am
Aggravated DWI
A vehicle crash near the intersection of Coal Avenue and Highway 66 led to Gallup Officer Julio Yazzie being dispatched. Another officer at the scene told Yazzie he had met the driver, Henrietta Chee, 41, of St. Michael’s, Ariz. A witness said Chee pulled up to the Ranchino Motel, 1009 W. Coal Ave., to ask for help. The witness said she got out of the vehicle and then got back inside.
She was determined to be intoxicated and had sustained injuries. So, she was taken to Gallup Indian Medical Center by MedStar, where Yazzie met her. Chee said she was fleeing from people who were trying to kill her and she was trying to find her family in Lupton, Ariz. She stated she “had enough” and wanted to crash her car, but then wanted to see her husband and was refusing treatment until she did.
As she was being treated for her injuries, Yazzie observed she smelled of alcohol and she stated she consumed shots from two miniatures of Yukon Jack prior to the crash. She agreed to take the Standard Field Sobriety Tests and was transported to the police department to complete the tests.
Chee performed poorly on the tests and was placed under arrest. She refused to give a breath test, and was carrying a revoked/suspended driver’s license. Chee was transported to McKinley County Adult Detention Center and booked for aggravated DWI, careless driving, no license, and an active warrant.
Chee was released on her own recognizance by Judge Janelle Griego.
Dyson Benally
Aug. 15, 2:43 pm
DWI
A male was driving recklessly on the road and crashed into a curb near Walmart, 530 Kachina St., leading to Gallup Officers driving to the scene to find the suspect.
Officer Vincent Thompson arrived and met the officers who had made the arrest on Dyson Benally, 33, of Chinle, Ariz. Benally showed signs of being intoxicated including slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, the smell of alcohol, and an inability to stand upright. There was also an open container of Natural Ice in his vehicle’s cupholder.
Benally became unruly and refused to take the Standard Field Sobriety Tests and eventually threatened the officers as he was transported to McKinley County Adult Detention Center. He refused to cooperate with the medical staff at the jail and was taken to Gallup Indian Medical Center for clearance.
He remained disorderly with the officers and hospital staff and was eventually sedated and kept at the hospital for further care. The report stated a court summons would be filed.
Jerry Charley
Aug. 15, 12:25 am
DWI
Gallup Officer Warren Bowannie was in the vicinity of 1500 S. Second St. when he spotted a man with a six-pack of blue Bud Light bottles urinating next to a Pontiac. The man, later identified as Jerry Charley, 46, of Rehoboth, N.M. then got into the car and headed toward Crazy Joes Discount Store, 1506 S. Second St. Bowannie followed him.
Bowannie conducted a traffic stop and met Charley, who admitted to drinking two Bud Lights prior to driving. He got out of the car on Bowannie’s command. Bowannie said he smelled alcohol in the Pontiac and that Charley staggered as he walked.
Charley agreed to take the Standard Field Sobriety Tests, but then had alternative tests administered after he told Bowannie about an injury. He performed poorly on the tests and was placed under arrest. He was taken to the police department for the breath test.
He posted two samples of .05 and was transported to McKinley County Adult Detention Center and booked for DWI, having an open container, duration of evidence, and indecent exposure.
Charley posted $500 cash bond.
