Staff Reports
Gallup police officers were originally dispatched to a local restaurant after two men were caught smoking in theres, but they were soon called back to the business when a woman became aggressive towards the workers.
On Jan. 27, around 3:45 am, Gallup Police Officers Philamina Chischilly and Kyle Delgai were dispatched to Denny’s North at 836 U.S. Hwy. 66 after two men were caught smoking in the restroom. When the officers arrived the two men reportedly left the business. But the officer stuck around long enough to interact with a woman named Melissa Monge.
Monge, 39, reportedly yelled at the officers, telling them she was a paying customer. The officers hadn’t told her otherwise, and she remained sitting at her table. She then reportedly went into the restroom.
Chischilly and Delgai left the business soon after this interaction but were called back to the restaurant around 5 am.
An employee told them that Monge was giving the employees “attitude”, so they wanted her to be removed from the restaurant.
Monge had allegedly taken a fork with her into the restroom. Delgai knocked on the restroom door and announced himself as Gallup Police. Monge started yelling profanity and refused to come out of the restroom.
The officers eventually had to escort Monge out of the restroom. She was detained with handcuffs and Chischilly found the fork in her pants pocket. She was then placed in a patrol car.
When the officers patted Monge down for weapons, they found a syringe on her. Delgai reportedly asked her if she had anything else on her, and she said no. He told her that if the jail found anything else on her they would place another charge on her. Monge said she didn’t care.
After securing Monge in their patrol car, Chischilly and Delgai went back into the Denny’s to talk to the employees. Chischilly also went back into the women’s restroom and found an orange syringe cover inside the stall Monge had occupied.
The Denny’s employees said that when Monge first entered the restaurant, she behaved fine. She paid for her food, but then she allegedly started dancing on a table. She even grabbed another customer and started dancing with them.
The employees reportedly told her to get down from the table, which she eventually did. But the employees called the police again when Monge began walking in and out of the restaurant. She allegedly kept going into the restroom and coming back out. She was also reportedly staring at the restaurant’s security camera and talking to it.
Eventually, one of the Denny’s employees confronted Monge and asked her to stop. Monge allegedly responded by yelling at the employee and telling him she was going to stab him. That’s when the employees called the police.
When Delgai spoke to the employee Monge reportedly threatened, he explained that he told her that it was time for her to leave since she’d already ate her food.
Monge reportedly lashed out at the employee, saying “you fat f***, you don’t get nothing.” She then began reaching for the fork in her pocket, continuing to yell at the employee. She allegedly told him she would rip off his face.
The employee reportedly walked away from Monge to call the police, and then she went back to the restroom, where Chischilly and Delgai eventually found her.
When Delgai gave her the restaurant’s trespassing notice against her, Monge reportedly began arguing with him. He informed her that she could no longer be at the business or its surrounding properties including the parking lot, or she would be arrested again.
Monge was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of drug paraphernalia, and disorderly conduct. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12.
