CYCLIST MUGGING
2/27, GAMERCO
One alleged crime turned into another when a mugging victim allegedly threw a rock at a Gamerco resident’s window, breaking it. The events took place near 608 Rust Ave. at about 3:06 pm. The owner of the residence called for help, and accused Kendrick Yazzie, 25, of throwing the rock. Yazzie was already walking away from the scene when McKinley County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Joseph Guillen was sent to investigate.
Bleeding from his nose and mouth, Yazzie explained to Guillen that he had just been attacked by two men dressed in black. The men allegedly beat him, and stole his bicycle, a black and orange Mongoose UNK model. The man then knocked on the door at 608 Rust Ave., for reasons not listed in the report, but possibly he was seeking help of some kind to deal with the aftermath of the alleged violent robbery.
Guillen, concerned, provided Yazzie with some gauze and called medical personnel to the scene, who assisted in further treating his injuries. The victim refused an offer to be taken to the however; however, the ambulance team advised the deputy that Yazzie would be okay.
Guillen examined the resident of the house to make sure he was not one of the attackers. The resident’s hands were clean and his demeanor was cooperative, and the officer states in the report he did not suspect that he was one of the assailants. No arrests were made, however, both parties were advised a report had been filed at the Sheriff’s office.
METH AT THE FORT
3/7, FORT WINGATE
McKinley County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Garylle James joined deputies already on the scene of a vehicle stop at 16 Jeff King Loop in Fort Wingate, at around 9 am according to the report.
The deputies were executing an arrest warrant. Two of the three passengers stopped were found to have warrants for their arrests, issued out of McKinley County Magistrate Court. The two individuals were Kristin Gutierrez, 26, and Michael Garcia, 60. The third passenger in the vehicle, Robert Lopez, 62, was found with a syringe in between his feet and was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia.
Deputies asked Garcia if they could search a yellow duffel bag that he claimed belonged to him, according to the report. The report states that they found heroin, and drug paraphernalia in the bag. It’s also recorded that after the suspects were transported to the jail, and a pat search revealed that Michael Garcia was also in possession of methamphetamine.
NECESSARY PAPERWORK
2/28, GALLUP
A landlord asked the Gallup Police Department to remove two individuals who were sleeping at his property, 903 ½ East Hill Ave. Officer Ryan Blackgoat arrived on the scene to investigate.
According to the report, the owner told the officer that he had sent a maintenance person to change the locks, and they had discovered the unexpected tenants. The individuals had allegedly kicked the door in, damaging it, and had proceeded to take up residence without signing any paperwork, which the landlord had expected to be signed the day before, he said.
Upon being discovered by the maintenance person, they ambushed and rushed the surprised individual. The landlord was adamant that he expected a signed agreement with them, before allowing the hasty individuals to move in.
When Blackgoat entered the home in order to talk to Chelsea McCabe, 25, he found her on the floor, covered in mud, spewing profanities. Blackgoat advised the woman that she must sign the paperwork before she was allowed to reside there.
McCabe responded by yelling at the officer that she was already living there, and had property inside. The landlord decided, at that point reportedly, that he did not ever want to rent the property to this individual. She was booked for breaking and entering at the county jail.
OUTLAW PROWLER AT DON DIEGO’S
2/20, GALLUP
Gallup Police Department Officer Ryan Blackgoat and Officer Kelvin Akeson arrived at Don Diego’s Restaurant at 406 W. Coal Ave. to investigate a suspicious character. Employees had reported a prowler in the parking lot looking around vehicles. He was not there when Akeson and Blackgoat arrived, and the employees at Don Diego’s advised the officers that he had walked eastbound on Coal Avenue.
The officers caught up with the individual, Michael Yatsayte, 43, and questioned him. He claimed that two unknown persons had assaulted him for an unknown reason and that he was just looking for his girlfriend.
After checking Yatsayte’s license, dispatch advised the officers that there was a bench warrant out of Ruidoso Police Department, NM for his arrest. The police explained to Yatsayte that the warrant was extraditable, whereupon, the suspect pleaded with the officers, “Let me just run away.” The officers responded by stating that they would have to arrest him.
Yatsayte turned right around and fled, with Blackgoat and Akeson hastily pursuing on foot, yelling after him. The chase continued, across Coal Avenue towards a dark area in between C&R Insurance Company at 401 W. Coal Ave. Blackgoat grabbed his taser and warned the wanted man that he would use it on him if he did not stop.
Yatsayte continued to flee and the officer discharged the taser on him, but it did not seem to affect him. He didn’t get far after this; however, as the man soon after encountered a brick wall, which he jumped off of, injuring himself. He immediately began rolling around on the ground, complaining to his pursuers that he was injured.
The officers called an ambulance for him immediately, while the suspect began cursing and threatening Blackgoat and Akeson in return. “Wait till I see you when I get out!” he railed at them. Blackgoat inquired if he was threatening him. The suspect stated that he was not, according to the officer’s report.
The individual also tried to slip his handcuffs at the hospital and inflicted minor injuries to his wrists. He was booked for the warrant as well as the charge of resisting arrest and assault upon a peace officer.
GANG COLOR STABBING
3/3, GALLUP
A possible gang fight at Hacienda Motel at 2510 E. Highway 66, left one young man hospitalized after assailants stabbed him in the stomach with a knife. Some of the witnesses stated that Brandon Willie, 25, and Brian Willie, 29, were engaging in an argument with the victim over colors and gangs, according to the report.
The conflict turned deadly, when the pair dragged the man they were arguing with, forcibly, into room 27 of the motel. They held him down, and stabbed him in the stomach, the victim’s sister claimed, in the report. This seems to have sated their bloodlust as they let the victim go. He later ended up in the hospital for the stab wound, after he was found wandering westward along Highway 66.
Gallup Police Department Officers Francis Collins, Ransom James and Victor Rodriguez were dispatched to handle the situation around 8:15 pm, in response to an anonymous caller. In addition to the victim’s sister, officers also questioned the sisters of the alleged assailants, who offered a similar story.
According to the report, the victim had been smashing the assailant’s mother’s vehicle with a baseball bat, which culminated in a broken rear window. The reasons for the victim’s actions against the car were not covered in the police report. Brandon Willie was booked for two counts of aggravated battery, and the case was turned over to Det. Chavo Chischilly who took over the investigation. Brandon Willie is being held at McKinley County Adult Detention Center on a $10,000 cash only bond.