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Allentown, Houck man wanted for attempted murder

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Man pistol-whipped, beat female victim

***A man facing attempted murder charges is wanted by McKinley County Sheriff’s Office.

MCSO Inv. Anthony Ashley said that on the evening of July 27, Anthony Hicks of Allentown, Ariz., allegedly assaulted a woman from the east Gallup area.

MCSO Deputy Jasmine Jaramillo interviewed the reported victim and wrote out the sensitive details of the assault. The victim who was a passenger in Hicks’ vehicle told the deputy that Hicks, 47, took her “on the back road” near Dusty Road in Gallup. From there, he headed up a steep hill and “began hitting her [on] the face several times with a closed fist.”

When the victim bolted from the vehicle, he dragged her back to his white Dodge Ram truck and punched her several times, causing her to lose her front, right tooth. The horror for the victim was only amplified when Hicks threatened her life with a gun.

“I am going to kill you bitch,” Hicks said, according to Jaramillo’s report.

Hicks reportedly held the gun to her temple, but the gun didn’t fire for whatever reason. The victim told Jaramillo that she had already caught a glimpse of the fully loaded silver revolver with a wooden grip. He fired again, near her, and this time the gun went off, narrowly missing the victim. Next, he took the revolver and pistol whipped her eye area.

He attempted to sexually assault the victim, but “she said she was begging him to stop.”

Her pleas worked. From there, the report states that Hicks took the victim to Allsup’s west to get gas. He then told her he was going to take her to Arizona. He threatened to shoot her in the head if she attempted to escape.

The victim told Jaramillo she made a run for it, saying “she was scared for her life but knew if she didn’t run that she would never see her family” again.

Her plan worked. She made it to a gas station, and was transported to a local hospital.

Now investigators want the public’s help to bring Hicks to justice. In addition to attempted murder, he is also facing charges of aggravated battery and false imprisonment.

The wanted poster for Hicks states that he is known to frequent Gallup’s low-budget motels, and drives a white 2000 Dodge truck with a “Jordan sticker on the window.” He stands about six-foot-two and weighs about 239 pounds.

If you have information, call Crime Stoppers at (505) 722-6161. Your name will be kept confidential. A tipster who provides details that result in an arrest and conviction is eligible for up to a $1,000 reward.

***Hicks was arrested in Holbrook, Ariz. He's being held on $100,000 cash only bond and is awaiting extradition to McKinley County. (Updated Aug. 5)

By Babette Herrmann
Sun Editor