Thwarting robbers and finding runaways
It was hard to determine which of the two groups were happiest on March 9 at the Gallup Police Department, the officers involved in a recent “missing child” episode, or the young employees at Red Rock 10, who found the missing boy.
It was Sunday evening, Feb. 28, when the Gallup Police visited the large theater on the east side of town to show employees a picture of a missing 11-year-old seen in the area. When employees recognized the boy – it being a very slow night at the theater – the search by McKinley County Search and Rescue and the police shifted to this area.
According to theater manager Mathew Vargas several employees immediately looked around the large building to see if the youngster was hiding there, and once the crew was able to close around 11:45, the group began searching around the Vanden Bosch area.
It was a recently empty Cheetos bag that caught their attention and sent them into a canyon toward the water tank, where they literally walked upon the crouching and hidden boy, who was in sight of his house that he had left before.
Vargas also explained that a search team was a short distance away and moving in their direction at the same time the boy was found, so it was probable that he would have been found soon anyway on this frigid night.
This was not the first time the crew at Red Rock 10 helped the police.
In November, they brazenly jumped on and held onto some people attempting to rob the theater. One of those robbery suspects was bound over on March 9, the same day the group was invited to the break room at GPD to receive a certificate of appreciation from Sgt. Francie Martinez, who had received the first report of the missing child, and Detective Nicola Martinez.
These are local heroes, the ones that help keep us safe. They gladly work to solve problems instead of running away or ignoring them. Give them all a “tip of the hat” or a quiet “thank you” on your next visit to the theater. They deserve it!
By Tom Hartsock
Sun Correspondent
