GRANTS – New Mexico State Police were called to investigate a single commercial motor vehicle crash on I-40 at mile post 87, at 3:49 am on June 20.

The commercial motor vehicle left the roadway, entered the median and overturned.

The driver of the vehicle, Mr. John Valdez, 56, of Desert Hot Springs, Calif. was not wearing his seat belt, and sustained fatal injuries, he was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The passenger of the vehicle Mr. Abdelnebi Basyouni, 59, of Fontana, Calif. was asleep in the cab section of the vehicle, he sustained injuries during the crash and was transported to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, NM.

This vehicle crash is still under...

A Mentmore female remained jailed June 20 after being taken into custody on bringing contraband into a jail facility charges, officials said. Valerie Lopez remains behind bars and without bond on a separate charge from Cibola County, officials said.

Lopez, 27, appeared before 11th judicial Court Judge Lyndy Bennett June 12 for an arraignment after being arrested in Gallup on May 5 for a probation violation charge.

A trial date has been set for Nov. 28 after Lopez pleaded not guilty in front of Bennett for the contraband charge. The disposition of the Cibola County no bond charge was not immediately available.

Lopez was jailed in early May on the probation violation. But when she was...

Gallup Police Department has released the name of the man found deceased in a car June 20.

GPD Capt. Marinda Spencer said Saied Alassi, 38, was parked in front of a relative’s house on the 500 block of South Ford Drive. His family reportedly made the grim discovery. At this juncture, Spencer is not clear on whether he lived in the home.

Spencer said police were called to the scene at about 1:50 pm where they found the unresponsive Alassi in a maroon, four-door sedan.

“The preliminary (investigation) doesn’t show any signs of foul play,” Spencer said.

Detectives, and on-scene investigators from the Office of the Medical Investigator searched the vehicle for clues that may be...

A Gallup man took his chances at trying to escape from police last month, and now wants to take another chance at a formal trial to possibly do away with some criminal charges, according to court papers.

Isaac Padilla, 23, took Gallup police and officers from the Middle Rio Grande Valley Task Force on a high speed car chase May 3 after the cops and task force members pursued him on suspected drug charges. Padilla was arraigned last week on felony drug and aggravated fleeing charges, records show.

The police agencies were watching a residence on East Princeton Avenue where some suspected drug dealers were believed to be staying and doing business, records show. The police saw a silver...