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Woman buys stolen car

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McKinley County Sheriff Deputy Clayton Etsitty was on patrol Aug. 26 when he noticed a passenger car traveling eastbound near the intersection of Hubble Street and South Chino.

Etsitty called the vehicle, a Nissan Altima, into Metro Dispatch for a registration check on the license plate. Dispatch then advised that the license plate number matched those on a vehicle that had been reported stolen.

After following the suspect vehicle onto South Chino, Etsitty performed a high-risk traffic stop. He drew his department-issued firearm and told the driver to turn off the vehicle and step out. The driver did so, and was identified as Danielle Kinsel, 33, of Gallup.

Kinsel asked Etsitty was she was being detained in the patrol unit, and Etsitty explained the vehicle had been registered as stolen. Kinsel said she had purchased the vehicle from a friend Aug. 2 for $150, and had a written statement of the transaction.

Etsitty found the written note along with the vehicle’s VIN, which Metro Dispatch confirmed as belonging to a year 2000 Nissan Altima.

Dispatch advised Etsitty the vehicle had been reported stolen Aug. 1 to Gallup Police Department. The person who called it in, Gloria Joe, 67, of Vanderwagen, was contacted. She identified the vehicle and reported no damages to it.

Kinsel agreed to be transported to McKinley County Adult Detention Center and was booked on charges of receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle.