Login

Local parents charged with child abuse

Print

Alcohol a contributing factor

For Daniel and Yvonne Mecale, bottles and cans of alcohol seem to dominate the décor in their home at 1999 Western Skies Road – or at least it did when police were called to their home Oct. 1.

According to the police report, officers were dispatched to check on the welfare of the Mecale’s four daughters by the state’s Children, Youth and Families Department.

Gallup Police Department Officers Timothy Hughte and Harland Soseeah arrived at the home shortly after 9 pm. Aside from immediately taking notice of beer and a few bottles of hard alcohol dotting the scene, along with the stumbling drunk parents, the home was in acceptable condition except for the girls’ bedroom and the kitchen.

According to the police report, in the girls’ room contained an uncovered and exposed water heater; had clothing piled on the floor; an exposed wire coming from the wall; an uncovered outlet; and a single mattress with no sheet and one blanket lying on the floor. The window in their room was also broken and replaced with a hard piece of plastic.

The kitchen mess was less of an issue, with dishes piling up in the sink and a dirty range top.

The three girls sat with their mother while police inspected the home. The mother couldn’t recall her children’s exact birth dates and the dad was combative and placed in a police unit shortly after officers arrived.

A fourth daughter was spending the night at a friend’s house, and was later picked up. All four girls went to stay with their grandparents while their parents were carted off to jail.

Meanwhile, two Criminal Complaints were filed in Magistrate Court. Each parent faces three counts of abuse of a child (Placed in a dangerous situation).