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Weekly Police Activity Reports

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BUSTED FOR MUSHROOMS, WEED

Fort Wingate, Dec. 7

A black Mitsubishi Galant traveled east on I-40 near the 28 mile marker. It passed through the construction zone followed by McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Johnson Lee, who observed it traveling 63 mph in a 55-mph zone. Once both vehicles exited the construction lane, Lee activated his emergency lights and conducted a traffic stop.

Lee met the driver, Cody Castillo, 25, of Lubbock, Tex., and asked him to exit the vehicle. As he did, Lee noted a strong smell of raw marijuana. Castillo was shaking and holding a drink as he told Lee he was going home to Texas from Las Vegas, Nev. Castillo denied having any marijuana in his vehicle, saying the odor was gasoline.

Castillo refused to let Lee search the vehicle, but he was detained and Lee went ahead with preparing a search warrant. Lee met with Judge Cynthia Sanders in Gallup, who approved and signed the warrant. Lee returned to the site of the traffic stop where Captain Rocky Klein waited with the suspect.

The officers searched the vehicle and turned up six bags of a substance Lee suspected was marijuana. Lee later found the bags contained about 52 ounces of marijuana and 3 ounces of Psilocybin, or mushrooms.

Castillo was transported to McKinley County Adult Detention Center and booked on charges of distribution marijuana and controlled substances. He was later released on his own recognizance by a judge.

OFFICER BATTERY

Thoreau, Dec. 3

A disorderly call nearly turned violent for a McKinley County Sheriff’s deputy.

Jerald Watchman was dispatched to a residence on Larkspur in the evening and learned of a verbal argument between Brandon Smith and Victoria Johnson. The two were apparently drinking and Smith had fallen asleep on the floor. Deputy Jeremy Shirley, who had arrived prior to Watchman, called an ambulance for Smith.

Johnson, 38, of Thoreau, kept trying to help Smith off the ground, but was repeatedly told to sit down because medical personnel were on the way. Medics arrived and tended to Smith while Johnson continued to try to get to him.

As he told her to sit down again, Watchman noted Johnson had bloodshot eyes and smelled of liquor in addition to slurring her speech. Eventually Johnson yelled at Watchman and moved toward him, raising her hand as if preparing to strike. Watchman placed her under arrest and transported her to McKinley County Adult Detention Center where she was booked for assaulting a peace officer.

Watchman was later released on her own recognizance by a judge.

Staff Reports