Gallup Sun

Drought conditions have still not improved, and with the Fourth of July less than a month away, the McKinley County commissioners have made the decision to ban certain fireworks.

According to the Drought Monitor, McKinley County is now in the D3 (extreme) drought zones, with a small part of the northwest corner of the state in the D2 (severe) zones as of May 26. The Drought Monitor is put out by the the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

According to Weather Underground, a website that provides long-range weather reports, McKinley County hasn’t...

Three people were caught stealing tools from a local car shop.

On May 29, around 6:27 pm, Gallup Police Officer Ryan Boucher was dispatched to Automotive Machine Works, 206 S. Second St., because of a burglary. The caller said he could see people going into the business.

When Boucher arrived on the scene, he reportedly saw a man wearing a black shirt running south across I-40.

After being advised to move his patrol car to Second Street, Boucher saw a man wearing a black hoodie. Boucher was able to detain the man, who was later identified as Christopher Begay, 30, and placed him in the backseat of his patrol car.

According to Boucher’s report, Begay smelled like gasoline and...

Featured DWI



Derrick Tso Yazzie

May 20, 1:38 pm

DWI (Fourth)

A wrong way driver nearly collided with the trailer for a community cleanup in Mentmore, leading to Derrick Yazzie, 39, of Mentmore, being arrested for his fourth DWI.

McKinley County Undersheriff James Maiorano III issued a call for assistance with the driver on Mentmore Road from Highway 602, which was received by Deputy Eric Jim. Maiorano informed Jim that the driver, Yazzie, came around the corner and nearly collided with their trailer. Yazzie’s vehicle continued the wrong way on the road before coming to a stop in the middle of the road.

Jim met with Yazzie after speaking with Maiorano, who said Yazzie...

STOLEN IDENTITY

Gallup, May 28

A man tried to cash a check that wasn’t his, but it didn’t end well for him.

On May 28, Gallup Police Officers Jarad Watchman and Francis Collins were parked near Penny Pinchers, 1301 E. Hwy. 66, when the store’s clerk approached them and told them about a fraudulent check.

The clerk explained that a man, who was later identified as Norman Smith Jr., came into the store with the check and an ID.

Smith, 45, allegedly said that he’d had the check for about a month now because he’d been in jail. The check was for $950 and it was dated for May 28. It was from Danny Auto Sales, 700 E. Hwy 66.

The clerk said that the photo on the ID did not...