BUSTED FOR MUSHROOMS, WEED

Fort Wingate, Dec. 7

A black Mitsubishi Galant traveled east on I-40 near the 28 mile marker. It passed through the construction zone followed by McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Johnson Lee, who observed it traveling 63 mph in a 55-mph zone. Once both vehicles exited the construction lane, Lee activated his emergency lights and conducted a traffic stop.

Lee met the driver, Cody Castillo, 25, of Lubbock, Tex., and asked him to exit the vehicle. As he did, Lee noted a strong smell of raw marijuana. Castillo was shaking and holding a drink as he told Lee he was going home to Texas from Las Vegas, Nev. Castillo denied having any marijuana in his vehicle...

Leora Billie

Nov. 22, 2:44 pm

DWI

On Nov. 22, Deputy Terence Willie pulled over a black Dodge Avenger, which the officer observed had a front passenger not wearing a seat belt when the vehicle approached a stop sign at an intersection.

The driver, Leora Billie, 41, Ganado, Ariz., was reported to have “bloodshot watery eyes” and could not locate a driver’s license or proof of insurance when asked.

Willie also found two passengers in the backseat of the vehicle passed out, with one of them holding vodka in his hand. A few minutes later, the deputy found three closed pints of Importer’s vodka on the driver’s side floorboard. Billie later told the deputy how much alcohol she...

The McKinley County Sheriff’s Office issued an arrest affidavit for a Gallup man accused of evading law enforcement at a traffic stop before dangerously speeding through intersections and parts of the city.

Michael Charley managed to avoid seeing officers again on the night of Nov. 26, after they conducted a traffic stop and advised him he would receive a warning citation for speeding on Highway 602.

Still, using the identification card Charley had provided authorities, Deputy Terence Willie was able to submit the affidavit for numerous charges, including: aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer, reckless driving, no registration, no insurance, failure to stop at a red light...

Gallup’s northside was rocked, when a cold, quiet evening turned violent next to the Panda Express at 508 N. U.S. Highway 491, Dec. 9

Gallup Police responded to calls of shots fired shortly after 6 pm. When they arrived on scene, they found a man shot dead. The victim has been identified as Adam Chee, 37, of Gallup.

At the scene, detectives questioned Jonathan Wright, 27, of Gallup.

From there, Wright was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and retaining stolen property, in this case a firearm. Both charges are felonies.

As of press time, Pablo did not say whether Wright will be charged with the murder of Chee.

She said that she could not...