Staff Reports
The legal limit is .08
Christopher R. James
Oct. 29, 5:56 pm
DWI
Gallup Police Department Officer Ryan Blackgoat was dispatched to 501 South Patton Dr. in reference to an accident with injuries. At the scene, according to his report, Blackgoat and a supporting officer made contact with a man slumped over the passenger seat of a stopped Chevy car. The man smelled strongly of alcohol.
According to the report, a female witness said the man in the car was the vehicle’s driver, and he’d wanted to fight her. Apparently, the man had been fighting with two men, and when those men left the scene, the suspect drove up to her vehicle and began to yell. According to the witness, the man hit her car’s window, so she left to avoid further incident.
Another witness said she saw the suspect vehicle pass her own car at a high rate of speed on Patton Drive. She said it crashed into a guardrail as it passed.
The suspect driver, James, 32, was taken to a local hospital by ambulance. At the hospital, he admitted to drinking, according to the police report. A blood draw was taken and James was arrested and taken to jail for booking.
Vernon Nez
Oct. 25, 3:24 am
DWI
GPD Officer Timothy Hughte responded to the scene of a crash on the off-ramp at the 20-mile marker of Interstate 40. On route, he was told by another officer to head to the hospital to meet the driver who was suspected of intoxication, according to the report.
At the hospital, Nez, 23, admitted to drinking at a local bar and then driving. He said he hit a bump and his wheel hub had given out, at which point he swerved, lost control, and crashed, the report states. Allegedly, Nez lost consciousness and didn’t remember much else.
He failed what field sobriety tests his neck brace allowed him to perform, and was placed under arrest. A blood draw was taken. An open container of liquor was found in his vehicle, according to the report.
Roberta Joe
Oct. 26, 4:09 pm
DWI
GPD Officer Andrew Thayer was dispatched to 2102 E. Hwy. 66 in reference to a domestic dispute. At the scene, according to his report, Thayer found a female, Joe, 35, arguing with another female. Joe, who was intoxicated, according to an officer who had interviewed her, then got into a car and drove southbound through a dirt lot toward Aztec Avenue.
Thayer conducted a traffic stop, and found not only Joe in the vehicle, but a 4-month-old infant and an adult passenger.
According to Thayer’s report, Joe smelled of alcohol, had red, watery eyes, and admitted to drinking earlier in the day. She failed field sobriety tests and blew .15 and .12, twice, during breath testing. Along with her DWI, she was also booked for abandonment or abuse of a child.
Roger Gene Kee Jr.
Oct. 25, 8:37 pm
DWI
GPD Officer Darius Johnson was dispatched to County Road 1 and Springfield Lane in reference to a possible drunk driver.
At the scene, according to Johnson’s report, he found a gold Suzuki sitting in the middle of the road. Johnson found Kee, 26, sleeping in the driver’s seat. The vehicle was still in drive and Kee smelled of alcohol and had red, bloodshot eyes, according to Johnson’s report.
Kee failed field sobriety tests and blew .19 and .17 during breath testing.
Marilyn Begay
Oct. 25, 10:39 pm
DWI, aggravated
GPD Officer Douglas Hoffman was patrolling Gallup, driving west on Aztec Avenue near First Street, when he noticed a vehicle traveling east on Aztec that matched the description of a previously reported car.
According to Hoffman’s report, Begay, 39, increased her speed when Hoffman began to follow her, and she continued to speed and even drove on the wrong side of the road. Eventually, Begay pulled to the back yard of 307 E. Aztec Ave and stopped. Hoffman placed Begay in handcuffs and detained two male passengers.
Several open containers were found in the car and Begay admitted to drinking, Hoffman wrote. She failed field sobriety test and blew .21 and .22 during breath testing.
Marcellus James
Oct. 16, 3:52 pm
DWI, aggravated
GPD Officer Ryan Blackgoat was dispatched to 503 E. Logan Ave. in reference to a domestic dispute. Upon arriving at the 600 block of East Logan, he spotted a white Chevy Silverado traveling eastbound toward his vehicle. A female was seen in the bed of the pickup, hitting the rear windshield with a blunt object.
Blackgoat pursued the vehicle to 713 E. Hill Ave. There the driver, James, 47, and the female passenger exited the vehicle to speak with the officer. According to Blackgoat’s report, the female entered the truck bed in an attempt to stop James, her boyfriend, from leaving.
The report describes a strong odor of alcohol from the suspect’s breath, bloodshot eyes, and slurred speech. James admitted to drinking five Budlight beers since 2 pm. Officer Blackgoat administered a roadside sobriety test, which James failed. James was transported to the county jail, where he provided breath samples of 0.19 and 0.17.
Matilda James
Oct. 16, 12:40 pm
DWI, aggravated
Deputy Merlin Benally of the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched on an attempt to relocate a light brown Tahoe that had been seen northbound on NM 566 in Church Rock after an occupant was found intoxicated and turned away when she attempted to buy some booze.
Driving north on 566, Benally found a vehicle matching the description and noted that it did not have a rear plate or temp tags. According to the report, the vehicle was seen driving over the white edgeline twice. Officer Benally proceeded to detain the vehicle near Challenger Road.
The driver, identified as James, 35, claimed that she had not drunk anything since the day before. However, Officer Benally noted a moderate odor of alcohol from inside the vehicle, and James presented with slurred speech and bloodshot eyes.
A field sobriety test was conducted, and James agreed to a breath test at the scene. The result of this test was 0.303 BrAC. James was placed under arrest and two additional breath samples were taken with results of 0.25 and 0.24. According to the report, Officer Benally also found a 12 ounce can of Natural Light beer under the vehicle’s passenger seat.
