Marcus Pino
March 6, 7:44 pm
DWI (Second)
Two cars with heavy front-end damage greeted McKinley County Deputy Dewayne Holder when he was dispatched to the 27.5-mile marker of State Highway 602. Sgt. Shane Bennett arrived at the scene first and made contact with the vehicle, a dark-colored Oldsmobile Alero, that was stopped on the east side of the road. The Alero was traveling north when it was struck by a vehicle that was traveling south in the northbound lane.
The second vehicle, a black Chevy Spark, was parked in the middle of the road, also with extensive front-end damage. Holder met with the driver, Marcus Pino, 19, of Gallup, who admitted he had drunk “a gram” prior to driving. Holder noted Pino had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and smelled of alcohol.
Pino agreed to take the standard field sobriety tests, but eventually stopped and refused to continue. After placing Pino under arrest, Holder searched the Spark and found several bottles of Yukon Jack whiskey on the floor.
Holder transported Pino to Gallup Indian Medical Center for clearance and then to the sheriff’s office, where Pino would refuse the breath test despite initially agreeing to take it. He was then taken to McKinley County Adult Detention Center and booked for aggravated DWI, driving with a suspended license, having an open container in a vehicle, and driving on roadways laned for traffic.
Ben Lynch III
Feb. 3, 11:07 am
DWI (Seventh)
An employee at N. M. Human Services Department called Metro Dispatch after seeing a man, known to the staff, parked in their lot at 3066 E. Hwy. 66. The caller identified the man as Ben Lynch III, 57, of Gallup, and suggested he might be intoxicated. The caller said the man had an open container in his running vehicle.
Gallup Patrolman Jarad Albert drove over to conduct a welfare check and found the man alone in the lot. Albert approached the vehicle and met with the driver, Lynch, and found the vehicle was turned off.
As Albert spoke with Lynch and requested his information, he smelled alcohol coming from the vehicle. Albert said Lynch slurred his speech and seemed confused when he spoke. There was also an empty bottle of Importers Vodka on the driver’s side floor.
Lynch exited the vehicle and admitted to drinking two beers about two hours prior to driving. He said he had driven to N.M. Human Services to pick up his food stamps.
Since he was unable to perform the standard field sobriety tests due to medical conditions, Albert administered alternative tests for Lynch. However, he failed the tests and was placed under arrest for DWI.
Lynch refused to take the breath test. Albert asked Dispatch if Lynch had any prior charges and was told he had six previous DWIs and was on the Felony list. Afterward, Albert searched Lynch’s vehicle and found more empty containers of various kinds of alcohol.
Based on his prior DWIs and his appearance on the Felony list, Albert prepared a blood warrant.
After obtaining approval for the warrant, Lynch was transported to Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital for the blood draw. However, the county jail stated Lynch required medical clearance, so he was then taken to Gallup Indian Medical Center, where he was admitted for medical purposes.
A criminal summons was later issued. He has since been released on his own recognizance.
Carletts Henry
Sept. 25, 9:49 pm
Aggravated DWI (Second)
McKinley County Deputy Terence Willie was advised of a possible intoxicated driver by Undersheriff James Maiorano, who had conducted a traffic stop on a white GMC van at 901 W. Hwy. 118 because it did not display its headlights.
Willie made contact with the driver, Carletts Henry, 39, of Gallup, who both admitted to drinking a bottle of Southern Comfort and driving the vehicle. Willie noted Henry had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol. Henry agreed to take the standard field sobriety tests, but failed.
Henry was placed under arrest. He agreed to give a breath sample, and was transported to the sheriff’s office for the test, where he posted samples of .15 and .16. Henry was then taken to McKinley County Adult Detention Center and booked for charges of aggravated DWI, having an open container in a vehicle, driving without headlights, and having no license.
