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Man arrested for child abuse after driving recklessly

Orlando Smith was doing donuts in a movie theater parking lot with a child in the backseat when police made contact with him.

On Jan. 30, around 6:15 pm, Gallup Police Officer Julio Yazzie was on patrol near Red Rock 10 Theater, 3711 Church Rock St., when he noticed a gray Dodge Ram truck spinning the tires and going in circles in the empty lot. Yazzie saw the vehicle leave the parking lot, and he began to follow it.

The vehicle went east on Church Rock Street, but Yazzie was able to catch up with it as it got on to Tse Yaniichi Drive. As he performed a traffic stop and walked up to the truck, Yazzie noticed a young child in the backseat and a woman in the passenger seat.

Yazzie met with the driver, Smith, 41, and asked him why he was burning out donuts in the theater parking lot. According to Yazzie’s report, Smith said he was cleaning the mud off his tires.

Smith said he hadn’t been drinking, and when Yazzie did a Standard Field Sobriety Test on him, he wasn’t able to see any signs that said otherwise.

Smith said he was out “checking the mail” and was going to go home afterward.

The woman in the truck confirmed that neither she or Smith had been drinking, and she backed up Smith’s story about checking the mail. The woman said that Smith was “just showing off.”

When Yazzie told the woman that Smith would be going to jail that night, she said she would take the blame. Yazzie did a Standard Field Sobriety Test on the woman, and she also passed.

Metro Dispatch told Yazzie that Smith had a warrant out for his arrest, so Yazzie arrested him for the warrant, reckless driving, and child abuse. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 15.

Staff Reports