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DEAD MAN FOUND NEAR RAILROAD TRACKS

Mentmore, N. M., June 30

At 2:43 am, Deputy II Michael Harvey of the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office was advised of a man walking on the railroad tracks near Williams Acres in Mentmore, N. M.  But when he arrived at 2:46 am, all he could see was a BNSF train stopped, blocking the Defiance Draw Road crossing.  He contacted Metro dispatch to clear the call at 3:08 am.

Nineteen minutes later he was advised about a pedestrian. Harvey drove around and stopped on the north side of the railroad crossing where he saw a man waving a flashlight.  He talked to the man, Wyatt G. DeWitt.  DeWitt was standing on the south side of the tracks and stated that he was the train conductor.  He said the person was lying on the ground on his back about 15 feet south of the railroad tracks, with his head facing in a southbound direction.

Harvey saw the body, but no movement. No other information was available as of press time.

 

Bad boyfriend

Gamerco, N. M., June 28

McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy James Garylle was dispatched to the Navajo Shopping Center at 9:35 am after a woman called to say her boyfriend was beating her up.  When Garylle arrived, she said she wanted to cancel the call.  Then 25 minutes later, she called back and wanted to meet at 514B State Highway 602.  At 10:39 am Garylle made contact with the woman who had red marks on her neck.

She said her boyfriend got angry and started choking her when she told him she was going to visit her mother.  She said he did not believe her.  She said he then bit her on the left side of her face near her cheek area, on the bridge of her nose and on the tip of her nose.  She managed to get away, drive to the shopping center and call 9-1-1.

Garylle could see the teeth marks and cuts to her nose.  He photographed the injuries and asked the woman to fill out a witness statement.  He gave her a domestic violence packet.

She said she had been dating the man for two and a half years.  A copy of the report was forwarded to the office of on-call District Attorney Stephen Foland.

 

Not so happy joyride

Gamerco, N. M., June 28

McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy James Garylle was called to 413 Santa Rita Avenue, where a complaint had been called in saying a man was knocking at the door.  Garylle found a man sitting in front of the residence wearing a bloody blue T-shirt. His face was swollen and he couldn’t open his eyes.  He was identified as Yelmo Natachu.

Natachu said he picked up a man and two women in the Gallup area and wound up in Gamerco. He said they beat him up and stole his vehicle.  Metro Dispatch was called to check for severe head trauma.

Deputies Nocona Clark and Gilbert Padilla joined Garylle at the scene.

Natachu described his vehicle as a blue Jeep Patriot.  An attempt to locate was put out for the vehicle and a stolen vehicle affidavit was filled out and signed by Natachu.

Aaron Sarracino said Natachu came to his door and when he saw the condition he was in, he gave him a bottle of water and called for help.

Natachu was taken to the hospital.  Clark located dried blood where the fight occurred.  Padilla took photographs.  Efforts to find the missing vehicle were unsuccessful.

However, on the way to entering the vehicle in the National Crime Information Center as stolen, Garylle received a call from Clark, who said he saw the Jeep pull into Speedway North.

When Clark called out to the person with the vehicle, the driver took off. There was a chase, which eventually ended on State Highway 264 about a half mile west of the intersection of State Highway 491.  Three individuals were detained: a female driver identified as Dahlia Begay, a female passenger identified as Leona Begay and a male passenger identified as Gerard John.  All three were booked into the McKinley County Adult Detention Center.

 

Staggering man

Gallup, June 28

On June 28 Gallup police officers and public service officers were dispatched to the J. C. Penney at Rio West Mall at 7:16 pm, June 28 after receiving a report that a male was staggering.

The male was placed into a van and taken to the Na Nazhoozhi Center. The man was then transported to the Gallup Indian Medical Center for treatment.

The Gallup Police Depart­ment placed three people from the department on paid administrative leave.

For more information, contact New Mexico State Police (505) 841-9256.

 

Come look at my puppy

Gallup, June 27

McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Cecil Sanders was called to the St. Bonaventure playground at 8:31 pm on June 27 to respond to a complaint by Jamie Russette. When Sanders met with Russette, she told him that six days prior, on June 21, she had visited the fitness center for a workout and allowed her son Trent, to go to the playground, located next to the center.

She said Trent ran in around 8:45 pm and told her a man in a green car told him to look at his puppy and get into the car.  Trent said a woman told him not to listen to the male passenger. After the boy told his mother, Ms. Russette said she went outside and saw a green late model four door sedan leave traveling east onto County Road 27, headed southbound.

Trent described the man as Hispanic-looking with a lot of tattoos on his chest, and a tattoo of a flower on his right cheek.  He couldn’t identify the flower.

He said the female driver appeared to be Navajo, but didn’t give a lot of detail.

The vehicle is described as green, a late model four door sedan with small wheels and a loud muffler.

Russette said she has not seen the vehicle or the suspects again.  An attempt has been made to locate the suspects and the vehicle.

 

BB gun shooting

Gallup, June 9

Gallup Police Officer Thomas House was dispatched at 1:34 am to Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health at 1901 Red Rock Drive to talk with a male, identified as Jess Candelaria, who said he had been shot by a man with a BB gun.

Candelaria said he had been walking east on the sidewalk past Allsups, just before Rudy Drive, when a Native American male in all black with a black headband approached walking west.  Candelaria said the two made eye contact and the man in black pulled out a black handgun from his waistband.  Candelaria said he aimed  and pulled the trigger and Candelaria felt a sharp pain in his right leg.  He said after being shot, he tried to run after the man with the gun, but the pain kept him from doing so.

Candelaria said the man ran west on Nizhoni Boulevard toward the fire station.  House said he saw the BB taken out of Candelaria’s leg and that Candelaria said he would take care of it himself.

When he returned to the hospital room, Candelaria was gone.  No other information was given.

 

Fighting women

Gallup June 7

A male identified as Cody Billy approached Gallup Police Lt. Rosanne Morrissette at 3:18 pm in the area of the downtown walkway at 215 W. Coal Ave. to inform her that three women were fighting and one had a knife.

Lt. Morrissette and Capt.  Edwin Yazzie approached the women, who were first identified as Brianna Begay, Kamrie Caballero and Reshawnda Edison. Morrissette said Begay ran from the scene and Yazzie chased her.

Morrissette said the women claimed Brianna had a knife and was threatening Caballero.  She added that during a pat down, an open blade pocket knife was found in Brianna’s left hand.  No weapons were found on the other females. Neither Begay, Caballero or Billy appeared intoxicated at the time of the incident.  No information was in the report about
Edison.

The knife was collected as evidence to be logged in at the Gallup Police Department.  Begay was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and taken to the McKinley County Adult Detention Center.

When asked about her personal information, she gave the name of Tiffanie Begay.  Born Feb.  24, 2000.  Employees at the detention center identified her as Brianna Faye Brown from previous encounters. Begay/Brown was booked for aggavated assault with a deadly weapon and concealing her identity.