Featured DWI
Sean-Taylor Yazzie
Nov. 21, 11 pm
Aggravated DWI
A 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence while in possession of a bag full of blue pills that appeared to be fentanyl.
McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Dominic Molina responded to reports of a possibly intoxicated driver of a black Chevrolet Malibu that was last seen pulling into a parking lot at the Sun Valley Apartments at 201 Joseph M Montoya Blvd
The suspect’s car allegedly took off at a high rate of speed without headlights on and headed eastbound on Joseph M. Montoya Boulevard, and attempted to make a swerving right turn onto the Miyamura Overpass but swerved back in the middle lane and drove straight.
Molina initiated a routine traffic stop, and the car halted at 1130 Hassler Valley Rd. in front of the Gallup Community Pantry. According to Molina’s report, there was a strong scent of alcohol coming from the car.
The driver, identified as Sean-Taylor Yazzie, was asked if he were drinking that night and he answered no, although according to Molina’s report he was slurring his words and his eyes were glossed over.
Yazzie was asked to take a portable breath test and the machine read 0.161. After failing multiple sobriety tests and declining an official breathalyzer test, Yazzie was arrested.
While searching the car, Molina said he saw an opened box of Coors Light beer along with what looked like a baggie full of blue fentanyl pills that were in a compartment of the car’s back driver’s side door, according to the report. The car was towed and impounded shortly afterward.
Yazzie was taken to the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office for booking paperwork and along the way, Yazzie was allegedly yelling and kept kicking and head butting the cage in Molina’s patrol vehicle.
After the booking paperwork was complete, Yazzie was taken to McKinley County Adult Detention Center and booked for aggravated driving while under the influence and failure to maintain traffic lane. His pretrial hearing is scheduled for Dec. 19.
Name: Dante Barton
Age: 23
Arrested: Nov. 19
Charge: Aggravated DWI
Status: Pretrial hearing on Dec. 19
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