East Side, Gallup
Gallup Police Department Officer Norman Bowman arrested Nelbert Lee, 34, of Church Rock, NM July 26 after he was identified as being the person who pushed down Zelda Cadman, 46, of Gallup and took money out of her pants pocket. Cadman told Bowman that $300 was taken, but $12 was recovered from Lee’s person. The incident took place in a field next to Gallup Detox.
GPD Officers were searching for a red van, which had run a stop sign, when they got word that a red van had crashed into a fence in the area of Bortot and Boyd. Officer Daniel Brown wrote in his report that there was signs of a vehicle crash and parts of the vehicle were left behind, including the front grill with a Dodge emblem on it. A vehicle matching that description was soon found in a parking lot on East Aztec, unoccupied. In a vehicle near the van, Brown found Ryan Williams, 36, of Church Rock, NM who became extremely agitated upon contact. While being questioned, Williams got into a “fighting stance” and threw several punches at his brother and at Brown. He was arrested for assault upon a peace officer and resisting, evading or obstructing an officer.
East Side, McKinley County
McKinley County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Ivan Tsethlikai caught a fugitive from justice Aug 3. Brian Ramsden, 46, of Gallup was seen loading up gravel from property belonging to the State of New Mexico Highway Department, located in Thoreau, NM. Ramsden’s warrant check came back with an outstanding warrant from the Superior Court of Arizona (Navajo County) for possession of dangerous drugs, transportation of a dangerous drug for sale, possession of drug paraphernalia times two and misconduct involving dangerous weapons. The warrant held a $5,000 bond.
Candice Begay, 30, of Thoreau, NM was arrested on two charges of child abuse and open container in Thoreau Aug 2 (See Weekly DWI report) after she was found to be in a vehicle, impaired along with her children in the vehicle and other impaired occupants. The driver, Shelby Tolth, was also arrested for child abuse and DWI.
Melissa Joe, 30, of Jamestown, NM was arrested in Texas for a stolen vehicle after her mother filed the vehicle stolen earlier in the day from Jamestown. Rita Joe, 65, of Sanders, Ariz., told MCSO Deputy Shane Bennett that her daughter took her vehicle and her half of the car payment and left.
Thoreau Elementary was damaged and burglarized sometime over the Aug. 1 weekend. MCSO Deputy Merlin Benally was called to the school Aug. 3 after a school employee found a portable porch damaged, a back window broken and an open door. Benally found blood from the broken window in the classroom and the teacher of the classroom reported that an iPad mini was missing.
North Side, Gallup
Bryan Begay, 25, of Yahtahey, NM was arrested for destroying, damaging or defacing property as well as resisting, evading or obstructing an officer after he was seen spray painting graffiti on the I-40 bridge near the Maloney railroad crossing. He led GPD Officer Jessie Diaz on a short foot pursuit until Diaz warned him of an impending taser deployment. When asked why he was spray painting, “he stated because he wanted to get into a gang,” Diaz wrote in his report.
West Side, Gallup
Georgianna George, 21, of Smith Lake, NM was arrested on what appears to be her third charge of child abandonment, according to the report filed by GPD Officer Norman Bowman July 30. Bowman responded to the area of the 3000 block of West Highway 66 and observed a female yelling at two males and a 2-year-old child “not being watched over and near the roadway.” George admitted to drinking and was displaying signs of intoxication, she was taken into custody and the child was given over to Children, Youth and Families Department.
Bowman wrote in his report that he had arrested George Nov. 30 for the same charge. According to that report, George was found in a room at the Hacienda Motel, intoxicated and the room was full of beer cans and trash and was found to be unsuitable for the child. At that time, she was arrested for child abandonment along with an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on a charge of child abandonment.
GPD Officer Timothy Hughte had to take himself to an non-disclosed hospital emergency room after he was head butted in the face by Larrison Hunch, 39, of Mentmore, NM. Hughte, according to the report, was attempting to help Community Service Aide J. Miles to get Hunch into the van to be taken to Gallup Detox. Hunch became disorderly and had to be handcuffed. When Hughte turned towards Hunch after opening up the van doors, Hunch head butted him. Hunch was taken to the hospital to be checked out and then taken to jail and charged with disorderly conduct and battery upon a police officer. Hughte went to the ER, was seen, cleared and released, according to the report.
West Side, McKinley County
MCSO Deputy Jonathan Todachine responded to Manuelito Canyon to assist Navajo Police Department in regards to a man with a weapon. It was first described as a big stick, then later a gun. Two MCSO Deputies and two NPD officers arrived in the area. “We all converged on him and the subject gave up with out incident,” Todachine reported. “Although he taunted us into shooting him.”
No weapon, a stick or a gun, was seen or located by MCSO.