Man breaks windows, yells at people
A man has been charged with assault, breaking and entering, and criminal damage to property after he caused a distribution at a local motel.
On June 10, around 8:30 pm, Gallup Police Officer Charlie Watkins was dispatched to the Motel 6 at 3306 W. Hwy. 66 after a man reportedly broke some of the motel’s windows.
When he arrived at the scene he met with a group of people who were standing near the front entrance of the motel. They told Watkins that the man, who was later identified as Joshua Desiderio, had headed west toward the Navajo Travel Plaza.
GPD Officer Gilbert Gonzales found the man in front of the Navajo Travel Plaza. When Watkins arrived at the scene Desiderio, 32, was allegedly walking down Highway 66 with no shirt on. According to Watkin’s report, Desiderio’s arm was heavily bleeding.
Officers placed Desiderio in handcuffs and once an ambulance arrived at the scene medical personnel checked him over. He was then placed into the back of a patrol car.
After he put Desiderio in the back of his patrol car, Watkins took time to speak to the individuals who were standing outside of the motel.
One witness told Watkins that she’d been staying at the motel, and she stepped outside when she heard a man and a woman yelling. When she stepped outside she saw Desiderio walking around the motel parking lot yelling. He allegedly proceeded to walk up to a vehicle and punch one of its windows.
He then allegedly walked over to the corner of the motel where a fire extinguisher was kept. He broke the glass surrounding the fire extinguisher and began chasing the woman he’d been yelling at. A motel employee was finally able to step in and yelled at Desiderio to stop.
Once Watkins finished talking to the witness, another woman approached him and said she was the woman Desiderio had chased. She said she was also staying at the motel, and she’d stepped out of her room because she heard a man yelling. She also reportedly heard a window shatter.
When the victim stepped out of her motel room, Desiderio allegedly began chasing her. The victim said she tried to run away from Desiderio, but then the motel employee stepped in to try and stop the situation.
The motel employee told Watkins that Desiderio actually turned to chase her after she stepped outside and told him to stop. But she was able to go back into the office and shut the door.
Desiderio reportedly hit the office windows and eventually broke them.
After he broke the motel office windows, Desiderio left the parking lot and headed west.
The motel employee estimated that it would cost about $600 to fix the office windows, and that replacing the fire extinguisher would cost $40.
Watkins also spoke to Desiderio’s mother, who said her son had called her because he needed help getting into one of the motel rooms. She said she arrived at the motel and found her son in a room with other people. She allegedly took him out to the parking lot and told him he needed to leave with her.
Desiderio reportedly became angry, and the two began to argue. That’s when Desiderio reportedly walked over to a car in the parking lot and punched its window.
After listening to all the witnesses, Watkins drove Desiderio to the Gallup Indian Medical Center due to his injuries. Deisderio was charged with two counts of assault, breaking and entering, and criminal damage to property. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 26.
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