A clerk at a Gallup gas station was transported to the hospital after being stabbed during an armed robbery late Thursday afternoon.

Two Native American males entered the convenience store at the Mustang Conoco, 3302 W. Highway 66, about 5:20 pm, and attempted to run out with beer, heading north from the station. One of the clerks was stabbed in her ribs, and another man standing on the side of the business said the outside of his wrist was sliced by the robber for no reason.

Eric Michael Begaye, 24, of Mentmore has been arrested on charges of aggravated battery, tampering with evidence and robbery.

Gallup Patrolman Justin Foster said police questioned several men after the robbery was reported, and through video surveillance, they were able to identify Begaye as the person who was responsible for the stabbing and slicing.

Begaye did not have the knife with him when he was arrested, but Foster said he may have dropped it while he was running from police officers.

The search for the other suspect is still ongoing.

Jimmy and Julie Gonzales appreciated the support of city residents and others from the region for attending their recent enchilada fundraising event at the Community Pantry in Gallup, which began Feb. 5 and is ongoing.

The fundraiser was held to cover Jimmy Gonzales’ medical treatment costs at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. Friends and family coordinated the fundraising activities, which also included a raffle and softball tournament.

A GoFundMe page, titled “Help Jimmy Get to Mayo,” was also established. As of Feb. 14, 138 people have raised $9,606 of the $20,000 goal in 21 days. The campaign is trending and there is still time to contribute.

On May 20, 2016, Gonzales was diagnosed with Stage II AB thymoma and underwent surgery a month later. Numerous rounds of radiation therapy and an intense fight with his body followed. In January of 2017, it was revealed that Gonzales had Myasthenia gravis.

“It is an autoimmune disorder. I’ve been dealing with it all my life,” Gonzales said of the condition.

In sixth grade, Gonzales began to lose his hair. What was thought to be tape on the back of his head was actually the start of Alopecia.

Gonzales was healthy for the most part, but his health began to take a turn a couple of years ago.

Julie Gonzales said that in the spring of 2016, her husband wasn’t feeling well, so they visited a local doctor who increased Jimmy’s asthma medication for about six to eight weeks.

“Suddenly, he got really bad and he almost started blacking out with small exertion-type things,” she said. “We went to the emergency room and they did a chest x-ray for pneumonia. They did a CT scan and that’s when they found a softball-sized tumor in his chest.”

One of Gonzales’ lungs was completely flattened by the tumor, which was also pressed up against his heart. The hospital flew him to Albuquerque for a higher level of medical treatment than what could be provided locally.

After several days in the hospital and a biopsy, the couple found out that the growth was a thymoma tumor, a cancer of the thymus gland.

“With the auto immune [disease], basically my body is fighting against itself,” Gonzales said.

His immune system, instead of fighting viruses and foreign objects in the body, fights along with the viruses to attack his body.

“Basically, my body doesn’t have a defense mechanism,” he said.

Because of this, staying away from sick people and large crowds is crucial, especially with the severe flu season this year. If he goes outdoors, covering up and wearing a mask is necessary.

Gonzales’ underwent a sternotomy in June 2016, which cracked the sternum apart for access to his chest cavity.

His wife spoke to Gonzales’ physical reaction to the surgery.

“He did really well after surgery, he was up and walking a mile within about a week. He did great,” Julie Gonzales said.

But when the pathology came in, there were still signs of the thymoma, and Jimmy had to undergo 28 rounds of radiation in the fall of 2016. He suffered through lung failure.

MG is often referred to as the “Snowflake Disease” because no two people ever have the same treatment plan for the illness.

Gonzales has had his own struggles trying to match the right treatment to his body.

“There’s different treatments with different dosages. Getting the right treatment is the trick,” he said. “We want to bring awareness to this disease. It gets swept under the rug because there’s no known cure.”

The ability to swallow and speak comes and goes. Gonzales was getting fatigued during the interview and said it takes him an hour or longer to eat a meal.

Although he has medical insurance, the required healthcare costs are expensive. The Mayo Clinic is not in the couple’s medical network; only 50 percent of the costs are covered.

Julie Gonzales is realistic about what adequate healthcare entails for their family.

“You must have cash in hand if you show up at the Mayo Clinic,” she said.

Jimmy plans to fight MG every step of the way, and is determined to overcome the disease through prayer and help of families and friends.

“The Mayo Clinic gives us hope. We want to thank our friends and family. Thank you to everybody who came together in this huge effort,” Jimmy said.

For more information, visit www.gofundme.com/jimmytomayo

By Rick Abasta

Sun Correspondent

An Arlington, Ariz. man was arrested Thursday by Gallup Police in connection with a bank robbery in Gallup earlier in the day.

Casey Erin Davenport, 41, was charged with robbery and tampering with evidence.

According to the criminal complaint filed against him, Gallup Police were dispatched to the Wells Fargo Bank, 300 West Aztec Ave., about 1:46 pm in connection with a bank robbery.

Bank officials told police that an older man, described as being about 5 feet, 8 inches in height with green eyes and wearing a cowboy hat and a blue and white striped shirt, had walked into the bank, went to one of the tellers, and demanded money.

White gave him an unspecified amount of money and he then left the bank, going out the south exit.

A short time later, police received a tip that a man matching that description was seen throwing a shirt into a trash can. Police went to the area and found the man, who was later identified as Davenport.

Staff reports

Local law enforcement officials are looking for a tall, heavy-set man in his forties in connection with a sexual assault that occurred Feb. 9, north of Gallup.

According to a report from the Gallup Police Department, the victim was leaving the Octavia Fellin Public Library at about 8:15 pm when a man approached her and asked for a ride. She told police she ignored the man but when she opened her door he pushed an object against the right side of her back and told her not to scream.

The assailant then allegedly pushed her into the passenger side seat and pointed a handgun at her, telling her to give him her phone. She described the weapon as a silver handgun with a black handle.

Once he had her phone, the man drove north to the T&R Market, where the victim told police she was sexually assaulted. After the assault, she said the man threw the phone at her and began walking north on U.S. Highway 491, towards Tohatchi.

The victim then got into her car and drove to her mother’s house to call police since her phone had lost battery.

When she finally reached police, the woman estimated about 30 minutes had passed since she saw the man begin his walk.  The McKinley County Sheriff’s Office was contacted and conducted a search along Highway 491 but could not find the suspect.

The victim said the man appeared to be intoxicated. She described him as heavy-set, about six feet tall with thick black eyebrows. She said once in her car he put on a ski mask.

GPD Capt. Marinda Spencer said the ethnicity of the suspect is not know at this time.

When police arrived to take her statement, the victim declined medical assistance, telling officers that her mother would take her to the hospital.

The victim reported being bitten on the neck by the man, and officers overserved red marks on the side of her neck at the scene. The woman also had pain in both her biceps and on her knees. Officers observed abrasion marks on her knees but said they could find no marks on her biceps, according to the police report.

The victim told police she did not hit or scratch the suspect.

Spencer said on Feb. 13 that police are still searching for the suspect.