FASSCO Auto Repair suffered a fire that caused significant damage at its 105 Mine Run St. location Oct. 18.

Firefighters were called out at approximately 3:11 pm and off-duty firefighters joined all the stations in Gallup at the shop.

Smoke was thick and the nearby Burger King shut down for a time.

Fire Deputy Chief Nathan Emerson said there was an explosion at the repair shop and it took more than three hours to extinguish all the hotspots. He estimated the firefighters didn’t leave the scene until sometime between 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm.

Two vehicles that were in bays inside the shop were pushed out of the building. One had smoke and water damage and the other had smoke, water, and...

An enrolled member of the Navajo Nation was sentenced to more than 18 years in prison for second degree murder in a domestic violence case.

U.S. District Judge Douglas L. Rayes sentenced Roderrell Boyd Charley, 33, of Chinle, Ariz. to 222 months of imprisonment on Oct. 13. Charley previously pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder.

Charley’s mother called police, when she found the victim lying on the road.

According to the FBI statement, Charley beat the victim to death with his fists and feet between Oct. 7 and Oct. 8, 2019. Family members heard him screaming and arguing with the victim on the night of Oct. 7. The next morning, Charley told his sister that the victim was no longer...

CIBOLA COUNTY — An 82-year-old man crashed his motorcycle on BIA Road 125 near Milepost 2, south of Ramah, Oct. 16 around 5 pm.

New Mexico State Police responded to a call and found a 2017 Kawasaki motorcycle had left the roadway and crashed at that location.

The driver was George W. McBeath, 82 of Pinehill, N.M. He suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. McBeath was wearing a helmet. Alcohol was not a factor in the incident.

The crash is under investigation by the New Mexico State Police.

Staff Reports

 

Enrolled member of the Navajo Nation Quinten Smith, 21, of Mexican Springs, N.M., was charged Oct. 4 in federal court with a killing on the Navajo Nation. He will remain in custody pending trial.

According to a criminal complaint, Smith and others went to the home of the victim, identified as John Doe, on Sept. 24 to confront him. When they arrived, an argument turned physical. During the fight, Smith allegedly stabbed the victim multiple times in the back using a pocketknife. Smith and the others who were with him are believed to have fled the scene.

Doe, also an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation,  who lived on the Navajo Nation, was found dead at his home.

If convicted, Smith...