ANOTHER STRIKE FOR PILL PUSHER

Gallup, March 28

A Gallup man with a previous narcotics violation was caught with almost 40 grams of counterfeit fentanyl, along with a list of other drugs.

On March 28, around 11:39 am, Gallup Police Officer Brandon Salazar was on duty when he saw a tan GMC Yukon roll through a stop sign at the intersection of Santa Rita and Ray Avenues.

When he got to the passenger side window, Salazar recognized the driver as Patrick Chiapetti, 25, from Gallup.

Salazar noticed Chiapetti seemed nervous. According to Salazar’s report, Chiapetti was on probation for a previous narcotics violation.

Salazar asked to search the SUV, and Chiapetti gave him...

Driver was allegedly drunk

One Church Rock man decided to drive while intoxicated, and caused a multi-vehicle collision.

On April 1, Gallup Police Officer Matthew Strandy was dispatched to the intersection of Highway 491 and Maloney Avenue due to a white Ford truck that had caused a six vehicle accident. The driver: Gary Largo of Church Rock.

According to the caller, several people had been injured and the driver of the truck was trying to flee the scene.

When Strandy got to the scene around 9:06 pm, he saw several vehicles that all had major damage.

According to the criminal complaint he filed, Strandy began checking each person who was involved in the crash for injuries. He also...

Featured DWI

Alexander Claw

March 3, 3:26 am

Aggravated DWI (Fourth)

Driving with a suspended license plate led to a Black Hat man, Alexander Claw, 31, being arrested and charged with his fourth DWI.

Gallup Officer Iris Martinez was conducting routine patrols on Highway 66 when she saw a gray Chevrolet passenger car with a New Mexico license plate. Martinez ran the plate through Metro Dispatch, who advised her it was suspended. She turned to follow the vehicle, pulling it over and conducting a traffic stop near D&D Motor Co., 401 W. Hwy. 66.

She met the driver, Claw, and began questioning him. As he spoke, Martinez noticed several signs of intoxication from Claw...

ALBUQUERQUE – Leonard Yazzie, 39, of Pine Hill, N.M., and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was arraigned in federal court today on a charge of aggravated sexual abuse of a child in Indian Country. Yazzie will remain in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for April 7.

A federal grand jury indicted Yazzie on March 23. According to the indictment, on March 28, 2016, and March 27, 2017, Yazzie allegedly engaged in a sexual act with a victim, identified as Jane Doe. At the time, Jane Doe was under 12 years old. The abuse is alleged to have occurred on the Ramah Navajo Reservation.

An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is considered innocent unless and until...