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Weekly Police Activity Reports

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MOTEL DAMAGE

Gallup, Aug. 17

A man broke multiple glass doors at the local Super 8 Motel.

On Aug. 17, around 9:30 am, Gallup Police Officer Cindy Romancito was dispatched to the Super 8 Motel at 1715 W. Hwy. 66 when the motel manager called in to complain that a man had damaged the property.

When Romancito met with the motel manager, she explained that a man, who was later identified as Bryson Nelson, had come in and damaged a door and a window, and used the fire extinguisher.

According to her report, Romancito noticed that a glass door had been shattered near the motel’s pool. The motel manager estimated that it would cost about $500 to fix the door, $200 to fix a side window.

Next, the motel manager took Romancito down the hallway, where she noticed some type of chemical on the carpet. The fire extinguisher box was empty, and the fire extinguisher was on the floor at the end of the hallway.

Another glass door was broken, and the manager once again estimated that it would cost $500 to fix.

In Room #128 a dresser was tipped over, but after Romancito checked the dresser and TV that had been on top of it she determined that no damage had been done.

The manager said Nelson, 23, had been wearing a black cap and a red shirt around his neck. She said he was possibly Native. Romancito searched the area but was unable to find a man who met that description.

While she was searching the area, Romancito got another call about two men walking around with some supposedly stolen items. While she was waiting for assistance with that call, she noticed a man meeting the manager’s description walking around.

Romancito approached the man and asked him to stop. The man told Romancito he was heading to work. He originally gave Romancito a fake name, but when she was able to run some of the information he gave her through Metro Dispatch, they told her what his name really was.

Nelson told Romancito that the manager of the motel knew him, and when Romancito asked the manager, she said she did know him, and another employee identified Bryson as the one who had caused the damage to the motel.

Metro Dispatch told Romancito that Nelson had a warrant out for his arrest, so she arrested him for the warrant, along with criminal damage to property (over $1,000) and concealing his identity. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 31.

WILD CHASE

Gallup, Aug. 18

A man broke into another man’s car and then led police on a chase around town.

On Aug. 18, around 10:30 am, Gallup Police Officer Julio Yazzie was dispatched to Thunderbird Supply Co., 1907 W. Historic Hwy. 66, when a man broke into a vehicle and stole some items, including a wallet.

When Yazzie met with the victim, he explained that he’d been cleaning the store’s yard when he went to check on his vehicle. That’s when he noticed two men walking away from his car. He said he noticed a hatchet in one of the men’s hands, and he said it belonged to him. The victim said he told the men ‘Hey man, I just want my stuff back”, and the man did give him the hatchet back.

According to the victim, when he went back to his vehicle, he noticed that his sister-in-law’s pink camouflage wallet was missing from his car. He said he tried to follow the two men but had no success. He told Yazzie that he last saw them going east on Barbara Avenue.

While the victim was talking to Yazzie, the man’s father-in-law called him and told him that one of the men was at the Chapparral Mobile Home Park. When Yazzie arrived at the mobile home park, the victim’s father-in-law told him that the suspect who was wearing a black and white t-shirt, who was later identified as Elliot George, was sitting next to a trailer.

When Yazzie found George, 26, he was sitting in a chair underneath a tree. But as Yazzie approached him, George took off, running north on Eilson Street. Yazzie repeatedly told George to stop, but he kept running.

Yazzie ran through a business parking lot, and almost ran into a street sweeper. He then ran across Highway 66, jumping over the concrete barrier that separates the highway from the run-off ditch. He then made his way over the railroad tracks.

At this point Yazzie called for backup and told fellow officers to be on the lookout for George. Sgt. Matthew Graham found George in the perky on the south side of Interstate 40. However, when Yazzie and other officers arrived at the scene, George was gone.

The victim’s father-in-law was able to reach out to Yazzie again, and he informed him that he’d last seen George in the alleyway between Ninth Street and Tenth  Street in the middle of Maloney Avenue and Wilson Avenue. After hearing this, Yazzie and Officer Patrick Largo made their way to the area.

Yazzie eventually found George on Carver Street, with a new set of clothes on. He was now wearing black basketball shorts and a white t-shirt.

George was walking north on Carver Street, but once he noticed Yazzie he quickly turned around. He took off running, getting on to Maloney Avenue and heading east. With Graham’s help, Largo was able to finally take George down.

Once George was in handcuffs, Yazzie radioed into Metro Dispatch, and they told him that George had several warrants out for his arrest. As Yazzie was transporting him to the Gallup Police Department George began cussing the officer out and started kicking his police car door. In his report, Yazzie notes that he did damage to the door.

In his report Yazzie noted that George asked him if he would shoot him if he ran away. Yazzie told George that he would tase him.

George was charged with burglary of a vehicle, criminal damage to property (over $1,000), larceny ($250 or less) and five counts of resisting, evading, or obstructing arrest. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 31.

BLUE PILLS

Gallup, Aug. 18

A man was found with 25 fentanyl pills in his possession.

On Aug. 18, around 11:30 am, Gallup Police Officer Julio Yazzie was dispatched to the Albertsons at 1702 E. Historic Hwy. 66 for a wellness check. When he got to the grocery store, he noticed a gray car parked near the ATM on the northeast side of the parking lot.

When he walked up to the car, Yazzie noticed a man who was passed out in the driver’s seat. The man, who was later identified as Donald Crain, woke up when Yazzie called out to him.

According to Yazzie’s report, once he woke up, Crain, 27, reached for the center console in the car and turned over some aluminum foil that had some burn marks on it.

Yazzie asked Crain to step out of the vehicle. Metro Dispatch informed Yazzie that Crain had warrants out for his arrest.

After Yazzie arrested Crain for his outstanding warrants, he searched him for any narcotics. While Yazzie was checking the left side of his body, Crain started to squirm, and Yazzie had to ask him to remain still. According to Yazzie’s report, he believed that Crain was trying to prevent him from checking out his pockets.

Yazzie found a small silver container in Crain’s left pants pocket. When Yazzie opened the container, he found multiple blue pills inside.

Yazzie drove Crain to the Gallup Police Department, and once there Crain started to complain that Yazzie wasn’t helping him try to get out of jail. He then proceeded to throw himself face-first into the backseat of Yazzie’s patrol car.

Yazzie called an ambulance to check on Crain, but he would not cooperate with the EMTs  and refused to be helped.

Officer Timothy Hughte told Yazzie that he found 25 fentanyl pills in Crain’s metal container.

After the medical staff cleared him, they placed Crain back into Yazzie’s patrol car. Crain proceeded to lay down in the backseat and began kicking the door of the vehicle. He was eventually put into the back of a Public Service Officer van and transported to the McKinley County Adult Detention Center.

After a medical clearance, Crain was charged with trafficking a controlled substance and criminal damage to property (over $1,000). His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 31.

KICKING AND SCREAMING

Gallup, Aug. 20

A man from Phoenix stole two bottles of vodka from Albertsons and then refused to tell officers his name. He even kicked one of the officers in the face.

Around 9:00 pm on Aug. 20, Gallup Police Officer Darius Johnson was dispatched to the Albertsons at 1702 E. Hwy. 66 when a man stole two bottles of alcohol from the store.

According to Johnson’s report, the man, who was later identified as Valyn Benally, was wearing black shorts and a gray shirt, and he was walking west towards Big Cheese Pizza, 1516 E. Hwy. 66.

Johnson drove by Earl’s Restaurant and made his way to the back, and that’s when he noticed Benally walking with an unknown woman.

Benally tried avoiding Johnson by walking around to the front of the restaurant.

Johnson eventually had to start chasing after Benally on foot while telling him to stop running. While Johnson was chasing him, Benally threw two bottles of vodka in opposite directions. As Johnson got closer to Benally, he noticed the man was wearing slippers. Benally eventually fell, and Johnson was able to put him in handcuffs.

But Benally didn’t make it easy for Johnson; he kept pulling his hands away all while yelling that he “was not resisting.”

Benally told Johnson that he didn’t steal the vodka, but rather that the woman he’d been with had stolen them. The woman, it appeared, had taken off and was nowhere to be found.

According to his report, Benally would not tell Johnson his name. Instead, he started arguing with the officer and spitting at him.

Multiple officers had to be called to help Johnson get Benally into his patrol car, and the man kept refusing to tell the officers his name.

While the officers were trying to get Benally in the patrol car, he started kicking them, and he actually ended up kicking Johnson in the face and a couple times in the chest.

The officers were able to put leg shackles and a spit mask on him.

The officers drove Benally to the Gallup Indian Medical Center, and when he was put into a room with medical staff, he became very irate and disorderly.

The situation got so bad that a doctor eventually told the medical staff to sedate Benally. The medical staff were also unable to get Benally’s name. After a medical clearance letter was obtained, they were finally able to learn his name.

Benally was charged with resisting, evading, or obstructing arrest, disorderly conduct, battery upon a peace officer, and concealing his identity.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 31.

Staff Reports