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WEEKLY DWI REPORT

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Lane Charley

Nov. 14, 8:36 pm

Aggravated DWI (4th offense)

Gallup Police Officer Cindy Romancito said she was dispatched to the 2300 block of West Highway 66 to back up another officer who had conducted a traffic stop.

When she got to the site, she found another officer talking to Lane Charley 29, of Thoreau, who had been stopped when the officer noticed his headlights were not on and then watched as both his tires went onto the rumble strip off the roadway.

The officer said when he contacted Charley, he saw an open container of liquor in his vehicle and smelled the odor of alcohol.

Romancito sad she asked him if he was willing to take the standard field sobriety tests. But he said no, because he didn’t want to make himself look like a fool. He was then charged with DWI.

He later agreed to take a breath alcohol test and posted samples of .25, .22 and .24.

 

Albert Nez

Nov. 14, 2:27 am

Aggravated DWI (4th offense)

Gallup Police Officer Cindy Romancito said she was stopped at a red light. When it turned green, she waited at the intersection. Before she started moving a black truck zoomed past her and failed to stop for a red light. She immediately pursued the truck. She caught up with it after it turned into the Dollar General store at 2408 E. Hwy. 66, where it stopped.

She approached the truck and informed Albert Nez, 47, of Sanders, why she was there. He denied going through the red light. As she spoke to him, Romancito said she could smell the odor of alcohol coming from within the car. He attempted to hide a can of Budweiser with his knee against the console. Then, he admitted to consuming two cans.

She asked if he was willing to take the standard field sobriety tests. He asked her if she planned to take him to jail. She responded by saying she could not force him to take the tests. He said he did not want to take the tests and was arrested for DWI.

He later agreed to take the breath alcohol test and posted samples of .19 and .18.

 

Darren Tsosie

Nov. 11, 5:25 pm

Aggravated DWI (1st offense)

McKinley County Lieutenant Monty Yazzie said he was on routine patrol on the Defiance Draw Road when he saw a driver go past a stop sign without hitting the brakes.

He conducted a routine traffic stop and began talking to the driver, who he identified as Darren Tsosie, 27, of Phoenix. Yazzie said he noticed that Tsosie was slurring his words and showed other signs of being intoxicated, including giving him his credit card when he asked to see his driver’s license.

Tsosie admitted he had been drinking. As he got out of his vehicle, he closed the door on his right fingers and didn’t seem to notice it. When asked if he was willing to take the standard field sobriety tests, Tsosie would not cooperate and laughed, making no sense.

He was arrested for DWI. Later, when an attempt was made to take a breath alcohol test, he found Tsosie passed out in the back of Yazzie’s unit. Yazzie tried unsuccessfully to wake Tsosie up and took that as a refusal to take the test.

 

Wilbur Johnson

Nov. 7, 2:28 pm

Aggravated DWI (4th offense)

McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Savannah Williams said she was dispatched to Tohatchi where a black car was parked at a business with the driver and passengers just sitting there.

She said when she arrived, she talked to the driver, Wilbur Johnson, 62, of Yah-­Ta-­Hay. His car had a flat tire, which Johnson said occurred as he was leaving the gas station and hit the island.

Williams said Johnson did not slur his words, nor did he show signs of being intoxicated. He did, however, have a puffy eye and injuries to his face, which he said he received the day before when he was trying to get stuff out of the trunk of his car.

He said he was just coming home from a dialysis session. When asked to take the standard field sobriety tests, he declined. But since he showed no signs of being intoxicated, Williams said she decided she could not arrest him.

He later agreed to take the tests, but because of his medical history, the tests consisted of counting backwards from 54 and giving part of the alphabet, which he was not able to do. He was then arrested for DWI.

Johnson told her he had been charged with DWI back in July and was on probation. Another arrest would put him in prison, he said.

He was then transported to the county jail where officials refused to accept him because of his medical history and a fear that he may have received a concussion the day before. Williams was told to take him to the Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital and have him checked out.

Doctors there gave him a medical clearance, but when she took him back to the county jail to be booked, officials at first still refused to accept him because of his medical history. After meeting with the warden, he was allowed to be booked, but a judge was notified and he was immediately released because of his medical condition.

 

Arvil Billie

Nov. 2, 5:02 pm

DWI (3rd offense)

McKinley County Deputy Terence Willie was dispatched to locate a vehicle that was reportedly creating a dangerous situation on State Highway 118.

Several phone calls to Metro Dispatch said the vehicle was swerving all over the road and had almost run head-on into a couple of cars. Willie was told that one of the callers was following the vehicle which was now parked in the parking lot at the Subway on East Highway 66.

When he got to the parking lot, the witness said he saw the driver go inside the restaurant. As Willie was headed toward the business, he met Security coming toward him with the male in question. The man identified himself as Arvil Billie, 45, of Crownpoint. Willie said he showed signs of intoxication, so he was asked if he had been drinking. He admitted he had drunk a bottle of vodka.

He agreed to do the standard field sobriety tests and he immediately began having problems and was charged with DWI. He later agreed to the breath alcohol test and posted two samples of .14.