Church Rock man jailed on Fatal motor crash aggravated battery charge east of Grants BEGAY THREATENED GIRLFRIEND By Bernie Dotson Sun Correspondent
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Church Rock man rema i ned ja i led with a $5,200 bond Oct. 20 on aggravated battery on a household member and false imprisonment charges, officials said. The bond amount includes a warrant amount, according to a jail administrator. Gallup Police Department Officer Anthony Seciwa wrote in a report that he responded to a call at the Ranchito Motel at 1009 W. Coal Ave. at 3:39 am on Oct. 14. Upon arrival, he found Namaan Begay, 22, with a cut on his neck, and
Naaman Begay his girlfriend, who was holding her neck area in apparent pain. The victim’s right-hand fingers were cut.
Begay told Seciwa that his girlfriend of five years hit him out of the blue with a beer bottle because she was angry. When the victim returned to the motel room after visiting family, she found a drunk B egay, a ccor d i n g t o t he report. She said Begay threw her against a wall and held a bottle to her neck, before she managed to wrestle the bottle away, which is how Begay sustained his injury, the report states. T he v ict i m wa s t ra n s por t ed t o Ga l lup I nd i a n Med ica l Center for treatment. There was no attorney listed in jail records related to Begay’s case.
Alleged Vikings fan thrown in the slammer CLERK BLASTS THIEF WITH PEPPER SPRAY
By Babette Herrmann Sun Editor
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ich a rd Au g u s t i ne Mazon, 33, messed with the wrong clerk when he allegedly attempted to rob the Alon gas station, 550 U.S. 491, on the evening of Oct. 16. Accord i ng to Ga l lup Po l i c e O f f i c e r D o m i n i c Molina’s report, the clerk said a man wearing distinctive clothing – a black-hooded sweater, blue jeans, white shoes, and a mask – brazenly walked behind the counter and demanded money from him. The clerk told Molina that the man, now identified as Mazon, said, “Give me the money or [I a m] goi ng to shoot you … you have to the count of 5 or [I am] going to shoot you.” Mazon allegedly began the countdown, but didn’t reveal a weapon to the clerk. The only thing in his hand was a black bag to stash the stolen cash. But his plans were NEWS
Richard Augustine Mazon about to be thwarted. In a moment of clever deceit, the clerk pretended to reach for the money in the cash drawer, but grabbed pepper spray instead, blasting Mazon. The failed-thief ran out of the store, empty handed. According to an eyewitness, Mazon made his way to the ea st side of t he bu i ld i ng where he jumped into a silver Chevy Cruze. The witness was able to give a detailed description of the vehicle and Mazon’s clothing.
Po l i c e c o n f i r m e d t h e clerk ’s stor y a nd t he sus pect’s description by watching store surveillance video of t h e b o t c h e d r o b b e r y. Molina noted in his repor t that video footage revealed that Mazon fell in front of h is ca r before he f led the scene. Meanwhile, within a few hours, GPD Detective Neil Yazzie located the suspect’s vehicle traveling nor th on Second St reet f rom West Wilson Avenue. Yazzie and another officer pulled the vehicle over, and conducted a “high risk traffic stop,” in which police use an intercom and ask a suspect deemed dangerous to slowly step out of the vehicle. Mazon was still wearing the Vikings hat and clothing that he donned during the robbery attempt. A s of O c t . 2 0, M a z on i s st i l l i n cu stody at t he McK i n ley Cou nt y Adu lt Detention Center. He’s being held on a $10,000 cash-only bond.
Staff Reports
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IBOLA COUNTY - On Oct. 18, around 7:30 pm, New Mexico State Police officers were dispatched to mile-marker 98 on Interstate 40 in reference to a fatal motor vehicle crash. The preliminary investigation revealed that a westbound vehicle dr iven by Natha n Chapo, 30, from Pine Hill,
PALACIOS | FROM PAGE 3 Gallup Human Resources Director K lo Abeita sa id Palacios officially began the job Sept. 2. Palacios, still the first face one meets when doing business at the clerk’s office, performs a variety of duties, including the posting and maintenance of meeting agendas, maintaining citywide records, and collecting municipal taxes and fees. Palacios said she’s happy with her new duties. One such duty, she said, is handling information pertaining to the Business Improvement District. “I like it a lot,” Palacios said. “My job duties are a little different than before. I like it.” Al Abeita said Palacios
crossed the median and was struck by an eastbound vehicle driven by Brian Ashlock, 36, from Sugar Creek, Missouri. The passenger in Chapo’s vehicle, Colin Coho, 19, from Pine Hill, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. No additional information is available at this time. This vehicle crash is still under investigation was in Albuquerque this week attending the Municipal Clerk’s Certification Institute. “ S he i s pu r s u i n g her Municipal Clerk’s designation from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks,” Abeita explained, adding that the institute is jointly administered by the University of New Mexico and the New Mexico Municipal League. T he week long ses sion covers everything from perfor ma nce issues to lega l principles. Palacios replaces Brenda Romero who moved on to another front-office city job a few months ago. Information on the cost of the Albuquerque certification session to the city and Palacios’ annual salary weren’t immediately available.
Gallup Sun • Friday October 21, 2016
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