FAMILY KNIFE THREAT
Prewitt, March 19
A Prewitt teenager was charged with aggravated battery after he reportedly threatened his brother with a knife.
McKinley County Sheriff Deputy Ben Benally said he was dispatched to the Edsitty residence in Prewitt about 10 am on March 19 after Jolene Apachito asked for police assistance because one of her sons had pulled out a knife against the other.
She said Nicholas Edsitty, 17, and Zane Edsitty, 18, had first been seen arguing, but then Zane Edsitty went to the kitchen and got a knife. She said she got between the two and prevented anyone from being injured.
Nicholas Edsitty told Benally that he told his brother to go ahead and stab him because his brother had been treating him this way for a long time and he didn’t care anymore.
Benally said Zane Edsitty came outside after he interviewed the other family members and had his hands in his pockets. Benally said he drew his gun, but kept it at his side because he was not sure if he still had the knife. Edsitty said the knife was inside the house and he was taken into custody.
HITCHHIKER DANGER
Milan, March 16
A Twin Lakes man found out the hard way that you have to be careful who you accept a ride from.
Derrick Dawes said he was hitchhiking to Gallup and caught a ride from a man in Milan. While they were driving west on State Road 122, he said the man told him he had a gun and wanted his wallet.
Dawes said he didn’t see a gun and tried to open the door. The man stopped the car and Dawes said he managed to get out and start running. The man chased him for a little bit, but then got in his car and started searching the area. He soon gave up and drove away.
Dawes then called the Sheriff’s Office. He said he left a brown bag inside the vehicle, but it only contained clothes.
He described the driver as being Anglo with tattoos on his arms and a beard.
AX ASSAULT
Prewitt, March 13
A Prewitt man is facing aggravated battery charges against a household member after he threatened his common-law wife with an ax and broke one of the windows on her car.
Jerilyn Francisco told Sheriff deputies on March 13 that she and Byron Francisco, 30, had gotten into an argument the day before after she told him to move out after living together for the past 10 years.
He came back late on March 13 and became violent, breaking the frame of the door to get in. He was also carrying an ax, she said, adding that he then ran back outside and smashed one of the windows in her car with a block.
He then came back inside. Jerilyn Francisco said she blocked the door to a bedroom, resulting in him taking a swing at her head with the ax. He missed and his ax hit the bedroom paneling, breaking through to where their three small children were.
She added that he had threatened to kill her if she contacted law enforcement. He also threatened to burn down the house, she said, and deputies found a fuel can filled with fuel sitting on the porch.
Deputies went to the door of the house and knocked. Byron Francisco answered it and told deputies to arrest him. “I lost it,” he said and cooperated as they placed him under arrest. He was also charged with property damage and abuse of a child.
TRUCK STOP ASSAULT
Gallup, March 13
A Gallup man reported that he had been attacked by two men behind the TA Truck Stop about 1 pm on March 13.
Stanley Gorman said he was behind the truck stop when he was attacked by two men who punched and kicked him. He said he did not know the men.
He said he blacked out after the beating. When he woke up, he found that his cell phone and $25 in cash had been stolen. There are no suspects.
DETOX CENTER FIGHT
Gallup, March 10
Gallup Patrolman Patrick Largo said he was dispatched to Na’nizhoozhi Center at 2205 Boyd Ave about 5 pm on March 10 in reference to females fighting.
When he got to the center, he spoke with a witness who said that two women, one identified as Raelynn Toadlena, 28, of Gallup, were fighting inside the “female grey cage,” according to the police report. Another witness said that Toadlena had shoved one of her cellmates to the floor and was then placed in another cell called the south isolation because she was being disorderly.
Police tried to speak with Toadlena, but were unable to because she was still very intoxicated and in pain from the struggle. She was then charged with aggravated battery.
AUTO STOLEN
Gallup, March 10
A Gallup woman reported her car being stolen on March 10 or 11 while she was staying at the Holiday Inn Express.
Claude Stacey said her boyfriend returned with the beige 1993 Honda Accord about 10 pm on March 10. When he went back the next morning, the vehicle was gone.
Police said they have no suspects at this time.
DOLLAR STORE VANDALIZED
Gallup, March 10
Gallup Police are investigating a report of vandalism to the Family Dollar Store on 3185 West Highway 66.
When police arrived there at 6 am on March 10, they found one of the double-pane windows had been shattered by a chunk of concrete. When store officials showed up a little later, they went into the store and found nothing missing.
The cost to repair the window is estimated to be more than $1,000. There are no suspects.
CAR BREAK-IN
Gallup, March 10
A visit to Earl’s Restaurant on March 10 may have cost one area resident almost $4,000.
Larry Livingston told police he went to the restaurant about 10 am to eat after locking all of the doors to his pickup. He came back about a half hour later and soon realized that some things in his pickup were missing.
Reported missing was a Samsung 58 cell phone, two rings with turquoise and two gold rings. Police said they could find no evidence that the doors had been forced. There are no suspects.
DOG MISSING
Gallup, March 9
Gallup Police responded to a call about 6 pm on March 9 about a missing dog.
Cecelia Munoz reported that she was on the 1700 block of East Highway 66 talking to a friend when her dog jumped out of her vehicle and ran away.
A witness said he saw the dog run to a nearby yellow car. The driver opened up the door and the dog leaped inside. The car reportedly had Colorado plates.
Security guards at the Red Rock 10 reported later that day seeing a car matching that description parked at the theater, but by the time police arrived, the car was gone.
The missing dog is named Daisy and has a braided tail and no other distinguishing features.
VACANT HOUSE INTRUDER
Gallup, March 9
All Isaac Buffalomeat wanted was a place where he could be warm. What Gallup police wanted was to know why he had moved into a house that had been vacated for months.
Police were called to the house on Viro Circle about 11 am on March 9 after John Ortiz entered the house to remove a mailbox. While there, he saw a pair of boots under a blanket and what appeared to be someone under the blanket.
He called police. Several officers showed up and surrounded the building and began calling out for anyone who was in there to come out. After the sixth attempt, police announced that they were going to send in a K9 officer and Buffalomeat, 36, of Crownpoint, walked out and surrendered.
He said the building was vacant and he was cold. “I didn’t have anywhere else to sleep,” he said.
Police discovered that he got in through a window in the back. He had placed plastic over the window to keep out the cold. He was charged with breaking and entering.
