Tara Faye Yazzie

March 24, 1:00 am

Aggravated DWI (First offense)

Gallup Patrolman Jeremy Shirley said he was dispatched to the area of the Ellis Tanner Trading Company in connection with a car that had stopped in the middle of the road.

When he got there, however, he couldn’t find the vehicle and a little later, received word that the same vehicle had crashed into a ditch on U.S. Highway 491 near Clayton Homes. When he got there, he saw Yazzie, 34, of Tohatchi, standing by her car.

When asked what happened, she said she was just trying to get home. “I wasn’t safe,” she said.

She admitted that she had four shots of vodka at a friend’s house before driving home...

First responders unable to resuscitate woman

Staff Reports

Gallup Police responded to a medical call at the south end of Arnold Street shortly before noon April 10.

Officers and medical units arrived on scene to find a Native American female unresponsive on the ground. Medical personnel performed emergency care procedures, but the woman could not be revived.

Gallup police detectives took over the scene. No signs of foul play were evident and authorities are in the process of identifying the woman. The death is under investigation. Next of kin notification is pending.

JAIL FIGHT

Gallup, March 24

Damon Williams, 23, of Gamerco, was charged with aggravated battery after getting into a fight with another inmate at the county jail on March 24.

Inmate O’Brien Brown told correction officials that he and other inmates in his pod were standing in line about 3 pm getting ready to go out for recreation time when Williams came up to him and hit him for no reason.

He said he got dizzy and fell to the floor, at which time Williams got on top of him and began punching him on the head. He said he didn’t know how many times he was punched.

He was transported to the Gallup Indian Medical Center, where he received eight stitches to his nose. When deputies...

A Gallup man, already facing murder charges, is now under investigation for sexually exploiting children.

The new investigation against Nicholas Esquibel, 20, occurred after Gallup detectives got a search warrant to look at his Snapchat records. Among the photos uncovered on his account were several of females who were partially unclothed.

Detectives were able to trace some of these photos to a 16-year-old Gallup girl who said Esquibel asked her to allow him to take nude photos of her as well as engage in sexual activities,  even though he knew she was only 16 years old. Police said they also found videos of the girl among his Snapchat records.

Esquibel is currently being held in...