Gallup Sun

PHOENIX — A man from Chine, Arizona was sentenced to life in prison for multiple counts of child sex abuse.

Kendall Anagal, 41, was sentenced lby United States District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to life in prison for multiple counts of child sexual abuse during the week of May 6.

On Feb. 9, a federal jury found Anagal guilty of three counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse and one count of Abusive Sexual Contact of a Child. Anagal repeatedly and violently sexually abused a child who, at the time of the abuse, was between 9 and 10 years old. The victim reported these offenses when she was 17 years old; she did not disclose them earlier because she reportedly feared for her life.

The Federal...

A federal judge handed down a 30-year prison sentence on May 17 to a Naschitti man who pleaded guilty to conspiring to kidnap a victim who was lured to a location in Gallup under the false pretense of meeting up with a woman. The victim was then beaten and stabbed to death.

According to court records, on Sept. 16, 2021, Elias Viola, 32, and his then-girlfriend, Shannon Etsitty, devised a plan to lure the victim to a location under the guise of a meetup with Etsitty. Viola sent a text message from Etsitty’s phone propositioning the victim, who agreed to meet.

Etsitty reportedly picked the victim up from his residence and drove him to a location where Viola and another man attacked the...

STEALING BOOZE

Gallup, May 8

A woman named Danissa Smith, 36, is facing robbery charges after she allegedly stole a backpack that had booze in it.

On May 8 around 5:45 pm, Gallup Police Officer Gilbert Gonzales was dispatched to the Walgreens at 1870 E. Hwy. 66 after an apparent fight broke out. When he arrived at the scene, he met with a victim who said she’d been behind the store when a woman, who was later identified as Smith, approached her and then hit her in the face before she stole her Dallas Cowboys backpack.

The victim said the woman’s name was “Vanessa or something like that” and that she had long hair that was pulled up in a bun.

An officer found Smith in the...

Featured DWI

Evelynn Sweeney

May 15, 12:23 am

Aggravated DWI (Third)

What began as a routine traffic stop led to a Prewitt woman, Evelynn Sweeney, 60, being arrested and charged with her third DWI.

McKinley County Deputy Aaron Marquez pulled a red Toyota Tacoma over on Highway 371 near mile marker 1. He had run the vehicle’s license plate through his portable computer and was advised that the vehicle’s insurance and registration were both suspended.

After the vehicle stopped, Marquez approached the driver’s side and met the the driver, Sweeney. She admitted to consuming a 12 oz. can of Budweiser and a glass of Jack and Coke at a family gathering about an hour...