Gallup Sun

VANDAL ATTACKS D.A.’S OFFICE, LEAVES PRINTS
Gallup, June 2

Someone went on a rampage at the McKinley County District Attorney’s office when they stole a sign and broke some windows.

On June 2, around 6:07 am, McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Davis Jr. was dispatched to the District Attorney’s office in Gallup at 207 West Hill Avenue because someone had stolen a sign from outside the building.

When he arrived at the scene he met with the a member of the building’s maintenance staff, who showed the deputy that someone had stolen a sign and pulled a green steel post out of the ground on the east side of the courthouse. He then took him to the north side of the office, where three windows had been smashed.

In his report, Davis noted there was blood about a foot away from the broken windows. The trail went from the building north toward the Veteran’s Memorial site, and then east toward Camille’s Café before looping back to the courthouse.

More damage was visible on the north side of the building. Some of the windows had shoe prints on them. Skid marks on the sidewalk indicated the steel post from the east side had been dragged to the north side of the building.

A TV was found at Veteran’s Memorial Park. Davis went back to the Sheriff’s Office and collected five sets of fingerprints from it.

ABANDONED DOG
Gamerco, June 2

A woman pulled up to another woman’s house and after they got into a physical altercation she left, leaving her dog and truck behind.

On June 2, around 7:10 am, McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Clayton Etsitty was dispatched to 603 Santa Rita Ave. in Gamerco. Metro Dispatch had received a call from a woman who wanted to report the fight.

When he arrived, Etsitty met with Yvette Cook, 52, of Gamerco. Cook stated that Felicia Gomez, 38, of Gallup, had started yelling at her, and became aggressive.

Cook admitted to punching Gomez multiple times, and then she said Gomez walked away, heading northbound on Santa Rita Avenue.

In his report, Etsitty noted that Cook said she wanted Gomez arrested for trespassing. He noticed there were signs posted outside the house that said “no trespassing.”

Cook explained that Gomez works with her father. She didn’t know why the woman was trying to fight her, but did notice that she was drunk.

Gomez was driving a gray GMC truck, and she parked it in Cook’s back yard. Etsitty found the truck and a dog sitting beside it. When Etsitty went to turn off the truck, the dog jumped inside. He closed the door so the dog couldn’t get back out.

The truck was towed by Speedway Towing and Animal Control was called to take the dog.

Cook had no injuries. She said she just wanted the incident reported.

APARTMENT, CAR DAMAGE
Gamerco, May 31

A fight late one May night, led to property damage and a call to the sheriff’s office.

On May 31, around 1:42 am, McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Harland Soseeah was dispatched to Ramirez Apartments at 508 Crystal Ave. in Gamerco because someone had reported damage to their car.

When he arrived, Soseeah met with a Gamerco woman named Monica Lee Wytewa, 40, who said her common-law husband Gerald Suitza, 42 of Gamerco, had kicked in the door to their apartment and then accused her of cheating.

Wytewa stated that Suitza had stolen money from her. She explained that she wanted half the money so that she could pay rent.

In his report Soseeah noted that Wytewa had said Suitza was mad all day and was even accusing her of cheating when they drove down to Zuni earlier that day.

She told Suitza to get out because he was scaring the kids. She then made dinner for her children, while also making a plate for Suitza. He eventually brought the plate back in and threw it on the table before he started arguing with her again.

Wytewa told him to leave again and asked for her phone that was in the car. He gave her the phone and took his clothes out to the car. Then he got angry again and started walking toward her. She ran back into the apartment and slammed the door.

After a few minutes she went back outside to get the money from Suitza again by reaching into his pocket. But he put the car in reverse and took off.

Wytewa admitted she had thrown a rock at the back window of the car and broken it.

CROSSING THE BORDER
Yatahey, May 29

A high-speed chase led McKinley County Sheriff’s deputies to the Arizona border, but they eventually had to give up the chase and let the Window Rock Navajo Police Department take over.

On May 29, around 5:46 pm, Metro Dispatch advised McKinley County Sheriff’s deputies of a possible intoxicated driver parked at pump two at the Tohlakai Speedway, 1039 US Hwy. 491 in Yatahey.

When Deputy Terrence Willie arrived at the scene, he saw a brown Dodge Ram 300 truck parked in the dirt lot south of the business. The vehicle seemed to cooperate when it pulled up to a stop light when Willie activated his lights. But then the driver took off. Willie began to follow the vehicle, and it turned south on U.S. Highway 491.

In his report Willie noted that the truck was swerving between lanes and traveling at 70 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone.

Eventually the truck crossed the border into Arizona, and Sergeant Tammy Houghtaling told deputies to stop pursuit.

The Window Rock Navajo Police Department took over the chase at that point. But eventually one of their sergeants told their deputies to cancel pursuit as well.

Willie called the Window Rock Dispatch asking about the vehicle and according to his report the dispatcher told him a Window Rock police officer had arrested a man named Jonathan Dick, 35, from Many Farms, Ariz.

Willie left a message for the Navajo Nation police officer to call him so he could file a criminal summons at the Magistrate Court in Gallup. The summons is for aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer.

HAVING A BAD NIGHT
Vanderwagen, May 25

A concerned mother called the police one day because her son was intoxicated and making threats.

When she called on May 27, around 3:30 am, the Los Alamos woman explained that her son, Alex Silver, was at 31 Sager Dr. in Vanderwagen and he was drunk. She stated he had a court date the next day for a DWI.

McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Jerald Watchman told the woman that he couldn’t just remove Silver from the house if he hadn’t actually done anything illegal. He did offer to follow the mother to the house and check on her son.

Later on, the woman reached out to Watchman again because she could hear her son yelling in the house.

In his report with the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office, Watchman noted that he tried to open the door to the room Silver was in, but it was locked. When he was finally able to get into the room through another door, Silver was swinging a black pipe around, hitting the door and walls.

Once he was able to get him out of the room, Watchman took Silver back to his patrol car, where he admitted he was under the influence of meth and alcohol.

The deputy found a hammer and a hatchet in the room Silver had been in and learned that three windows had been broken, and there was a gash in the dry wall by the door. Silver’s mother estimated that the damage would cost $1,000 to repair.

Silver asked Watchman if he could get him some sleeping pills, since he hadn’t slept in days. Watchman took him to the Gallup Indian Medical Center.