Staff Reports
RUNNING AWAY FROM POLICE
Gallup, Jan. 20
A man is facing multiple charges after officers found fentanyl on him.
On Jan. 20, the Narcotics Task Force conducted an undercover operation in the area of 1020 W. Maloney Ave. Law enforcement officers saw a man who was later identified as Kyle Largo reportedly trafficking drugs at the California Fast Food parking lot.
When officers approached Largo, 25, allegedly tried to run away and threw some items away.
Once officers were finally able to detain Largo, they allegedly recovered seven blue pills, which they identified as fentanyl.
Initially, Largo said his name was “Isaiah Platero,” but officers were soon able to verify his real identity.
Largo was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, concealing identity, and resisting arrest. As of press time, no court dates related to this incident have been scheduled.
THREE WOMEN CAUGHT WITH FENTANYL
Gallup, Jan. 14
Three women were arrested for drug charges after law enforcement officers found fentanyl in their car.
On Jan. 14, around 2:30 pm, Narcotics Agents with the Gallup Police Department and the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office, while working with the federal Violent Gang Task Force, were conducting surveillance at Ford Drive and Highway 66 when they conducted a traffic stop on a black 2019 Ford Escape. The car belonged to Ruth Garcia, 41.
Garcia reportedly had an outstanding warrant for trafficking a controlled substance.
Officers asked Garcia to step out of the vehicle, and when she did an officer noticed a plastic baggie containing some blue pills inside the vehicle. Another officer asked Garcia what was in her left front pocket, and she admitted she had fentanyl on her. According to the police report, the officers did identify the pills as fentanyl.
Garcia was handcuffed and escorted to a GPD patrol vehicle.
Then, an officer asked the woman in the passenger seat to step out of the vehicle. The woman was identified as Tianna Pinedo, 24. She ultimately refused to cooperate with officers, and an officer had to handcuff her after she refused to stand still and wouldn’t keep her hands out of her pockets.
According to the police report, Pinedo raised her voice when speaking to the officers. She was placed in handcuffs, and a plastic baggie filled with blue pills was also found on her.
Officers also reportedly found multiple broken glass pipes on Pinedo.
The third person in the vehicle was identified as Sabrina Livingston, who was 27 years old at the time of the incident. She said she was “catching a ride” and that she didn’t know what was happening.
However, when she exited the car some aluminum foil fell to the ground. Officers found a blue pill inside the foil. Metro Dispatch also informed the officers that Livingston had an outstanding warrant for her arrest.
In total, 12 and a half fentanyl pills were found on the three women. All three women were arrested for possession of a controlled substance.
Garcia and Livingston’s preliminary hearings in Gallup Magistrate Court are scheduled for Jan. 28. Pinedo’s is scheduled for Feb. 4.
SHATTERING A WINDOW
Gallup, Jan. 14
A man is facing charges after he reportedly shattered a truck stop’s front window.
On Jan. 14, around 2:45 am, Gallup Police Officer Elijah Bowman was dispatched to the NK Royal Truckstop, located at 3405 W. Hwy. 66, after someone called Metro Dispatch.
When he arrived at the scene, he met with the truck stop manager, who told him another man, who was later identified as Brady Tsosie, shattered his store’s front window.
According to his report, the manager told Bowman that Tsosie, 31, reportedly became angry after the bus was late. He allegedly began headbutting the store’s front window, and it shattered.
After he’d allegedly shattered the window, Tsosie started to walk away. The manager called after him, and told him to wait. Tsosie then reportedly turned around and started to get agitated. He then reportedly tried to start a fight with one of the manager’s friends.
The manager allegedly sprayed Tsosie with pepper spray to stop him from starting a fight. He estimated that it would cost about $1,500 to fix the window.
Bowman was able to watch a surveillance video of the incident, and in the video Tsosie can reportedly be seen hitting the window before it shattered.
The officer met with Tsosie, who said he’d gotten frustrated when the Greyhound bus didn’t arrive on time to take him back to Phoenix. He allegedly said he didn’t mean to break the window.
Medical personnel cleared Tsosie at the scene, and he was arrested for criminal damage to property (over $1,000). His preliminary examination for the charges is scheduled for Feb. 4 in Gallup Magistrate Court.
SLEEPING UNDER A TARP
Gallup, Dec. 21
When a Gallup Police officer found a man asleep under a tarp he reportedly also found him with fentanyl and drug paraphernalia, leading to his arrest.
On Dec. 21, around 4:15 am, Gallup Police Officer Eric Mangum was on duty at the Furniture Plaza, 1304 W. Lincoln Ave., looking for suspects related to a reported larceny.
While he was in the area, he reportedly noticed four individuals on the south side of the plaza. He reportedly noticed that one of the individuals, who was later identified as Christian Milford, was asleep under some cardboard and a torn tarp.
Mangum reportedly tried to wake Milford, 24, but he was initially unresponsive.
The officer lifted the tarp and allegedly saw some aluminum foil with burn marks and a partially melted blue pill lying on the ground near Milford’s face. Mangum identified the pill as fentanyl.
He woke Milford up, and told him to hand him the aluminum foil and pill. Milford did so, and also handed him a pipe. Milford reportedly admitted that the pill was fentanyl, and that it was his.
Mangum arrested Milford for possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. He has a preliminary hearing in Gallup Magistrate Court scheduled for Jan. 28.
STEALING A REFRIGERATOR
Gallup, May 17, 2023
A man is scheduled for a court date regarding an incident in which he allegedly stole a refrigerator in 2023.
On May 17, 2023, around 12:45 pm, Gallup Police Officer Charlie Watkins was dispatched to the intersection of Clark Street and Highway 66 after a woman was reportedly assaulted while she was walking to work.
While Watkins was on his way to the scene, Metro Dispatch informed him that the suspect was a man wearing all black clothing and he’d reportedly hid in a shed. As Watkins was pulling up to the area, a man matching the description came out of a gated area holding what allegedly looked like a vacuum cleaner. The man was eventually identified as Barry Bitsie, who was 47 years old at the time of the incident.
After placing the man in his patrol car, Watkins went to speak to the victim.
The victim said she worked at Lowe’s, and she walked to work every day. But on May 17, while approaching the intersection of Clark Street and Highway 66, Bitsie reportedly waved at her. She said she initially ignored the stranger, but when she was in the middle of the road he yelled out “You f*****g b***h!”
The victim turned around and began yelling back at Bitsie. But then, he allegedly picked up a rock and threw it at her. The rock reportedly didn’t hit the woman.
After the encounter, Bitsie allegedly opened a gate to a property.
While Watkins was talking to the woman, a man approached them and said he was the owner of the gated property. He also brought a security guard with him.
The security guard reportedly said Bitsie wasn’t allowed on the property.
Watkins reportedly learned that a vacuum was missing from the property. It was valued at about $200. Watkins returned to the vacuum to the security guard, and then transported Bitsie to the Gallup Police Department, where he was booked for a non-residential burglary, larceny, criminal trespass, and assault upon a peace officer (attempted battery).
After many missed court dates, Bitsie has a preliminary hearing in Gallup Magistrate Court scheduled for Jan. 28.
