Staff Reports
THROWING HER URINE AT A CORRECTIONAL OFFICER
Gallup, Feb. 25
A woman who was already in jail is now facing assault charges after she reportedly threw a cup of her urine at a correctional officer.
On Feb. 25, around 3:30 pm, an employee of the McKinley County Adult Detention Center called Metro Dispatch to report an assault at the Gallup Indian Medical Center, 516 E. Nizhnoi Blvd.
The employee said another officer was transporting a female offender to the hospital when she reportedly threw her cup of urine at the officer. The woman was identified as Olivia Beaver, 32.
Gallup Police Officer Warren Bowannie met with the victim, who is employed with the MCADC.
The victim said she transported Beaver to the hospital because she was allegedly experiencing stomach pain. Hospital staff reportedly needed a urine sample from Beaver, and so she was allowed to use the restroom.
When the victim checked on Beaver, she allegedly said she wasn’t ready yet. The victim checked on her a little bit later and put the shackles back on her.
Beaver allegedly said the toilet wouldn’t flush. She then walked around the officer to exit the restroom. She reportedly tried to run off, but the officer grabbed her by her orange jumpsuit and her wrist.
That’s when Beaver reportedly threw the cup of urine. The urine allegedly hit the left side of the officer’s face and her shoulder.
Beaver’s moment of freedom was short-lived, as she was quickly apprehended. The officer only chased her about 20 feet before she was placed back into custody.
A medical professional recommended that the officer seek medical attention since she was exposed to bodily fluids.
Bowannie left the facility and wrote up an arrest warrant for Beaver, which Judge Virginia Yazzie signed on that same day. Beaver was also served the warrant on the same day.
She is facing charges of assault by a prisoner and attempting to escape from jail. Her preliminary hearing for the aforementioned charges is scheduled for March 11 in Gallup Magistrate Court.
RUNNING FROM THE COPS
Gallup, Feb. 25
A man tried to run from police after he gave them a fake name. They reportedly found fentanyl on him.
On Feb. 25, around 12:15 pm, Gallup Police Officer Eric Mangum was on patrol near the Golden Corral, located at 510 N. 11th St., when he reportedly noticed a man covering his head with his jacket. The man was eventually identified as Roger Kee, 36.
According to his report, Mangum believed the man was smoking some sort of narcotic.
Mangum approached Kee, and noticed he had a lighter and a piece of aluminum foil on him, The foil was reportedly burnt, with an unknown substance on it.
Kee initially said his name was “Jared Thompson.” But when Metro Dispatch ran the name through their database, no match was found. When Mangum informed Kee of this fact, Kee reportedly took off on foot.
He reportedly ran across a rocky area, slipped, and fell.
Another officer and Mangum attempted to place Kee in handcuffs, but he actively resisted.
The officers were eventually able to gain control of Kee, and they placed him in handcuffs.
Mangum conducted a pat-down search, and during it he reportedly found a clear plastic baggie with three small blue pills inside it on Kee. Magnum identified the pills as fentanyl.
After he had located the pills, Mangum asked for Kee’s name again, and he finally gave it to him. He reportedly had an active warrant out of the Gallup Municipal Court for failure to appear on an original charge of shoplifting.
Kee was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, two counts of resisting arrest, and his outstanding warrant. His preliminary hearing for the new charges is scheduled for March 11 in Gallup Magistrate Court.
STEALING A CAR TO DRIVE TO HER DEAD MOTHER
Gamerco, Jan. 11
McKinley County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a woman who reportedly stole a vehicle after she learned her mother had passed away.
On Jan. 11, around 6:45 am, McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Ivan Tsethlikai was dispatched to the 600 block of Pillar Avenue after Metro Dispatch received a call about a stolen vehicle.
When he arrived at the scene, Tsethlikai noticed two vehicles speeding on Highway 564 and Highway 602 going southbound. According to Tsethlikai’s report, he believed they were chasing each other. He reportedly lost sight of them near the 19 mile marker of Highway 602.
Another deputy spoke to the owner of the stolen vehicle, who said it was a 2004 blue Mitsubishi Galant.
Ramah Navajo Police located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. The woman driving the vehicle was identified as Nefertinnah Gombeda, 38.
She reportedly fled from law enforcement, and ultimately rolled the vehicle, and was then taken to the Zuni hospital.
After Gombeda was released from the hospital, a relative drove her to the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office.
Gombeda spoke to Deputy Jacob Valle while she was at the MCSO. She said she was in Gamerco, N.M., when she learned that her mother had died. She allegedly needed to get to Pinehill, N.M. to confirm that her mother passed away.
She was reportedly told that a vehicle would be “running for her” to take to Pinehill. She told Valle that one of her boyfriend’s friends said she could take the vehicle.
When Valle questioned whether or not she actually had permission to take the vehicle, Gombeda reportedly began talking about changing, magic, and the possibility that she could’ve been deceived.
She said she believed someone chased her while she was leaving Gamerco. She said someone may have been chasing her because she stole the car.
According to the affidavit, Gombeda became frightened when a law enforcement officer pulled her over for speeding, and she drove away from the scene.
MCSO deputies also believed Gombeda stole another vehicle: a white Chrysler. The vehicle’s keys were reportedly found in Gombeda’s possession.
Valle arrested Gombeda for receiving or transferring stolen vehicles. He then transported her to the McKinley County Adult Detention Center.
Her initial preliminary hearing in Gallup Magistrate Court was scheduled for Feb. 18, but when she missed it, another preliminary hearing was scheduled for March 11.
SITTING AROUND, SMOKING FENTANYL
Gallup, Sept. 9
A man is facing another preliminary hearing after Gallup Police officers caught him with a fentanyl pill in September.
On Sept. 9, around 11:45 am, Gallup Police Officer Vincent Thompson responded to Sgt. Gilbert Gonzales’ request for backup at the Walgreens located at 1870 E. Hwy. 66. When Thompson arrived at the scene, he found Gonzales with a man who was identified as Craig Williams.
Gonzales told Thompson he was driving by when he noticed Thompson, 35, sitting down with a pipe in his mouth and a piece of aluminum foil in his hands. Williams then reportedly stood up and tried to leave the area before Gonzales told him to sit back down.
Williams reportedly admitted to Gonzales that he had a pill on him. Thompson reportedly found a blue pill wrapped up in some aluminum foil in Williams’ pocket. Thompson identified the pill as fentanyl.
The officers arrested Williams for possession of a controlled substance.
He didn’t show up to his Nov. 3 preliminary hearing in Gallup Magistrate Court. His next court date is another preliminary hearing scheduled for March 11.
ARREST MADE IN 2020 ROBBERY CASE
Gallup, Oct. 10, 2020
An arrest was finally made in connection with an Oct. 10, 2020 robbery.
On Oct. 10, 2020, around 2:15 am, Gallup Police Officer Julio Yazzie responded to the Pinon Apartments, located at 2811 Dairy Dr. He met with the victim, who said a man punched her and took her purse. The man was later identified as Austin Bahe, who was 22 at the time of the incident.
Officers’ efforts to locate Bahe that night were unsuccessful.
The victim was called into the Gallup Police Department on Oct. 13, 2020 so that Detective Douglas Hoffman could gather more information. The victim said she and her boyfriend had gone to hang out with Bahe the night of Oct. 9. The couple reportedly picked up Bahe from the Red Hill Trailer Park. The victim admitted that she and Bahe had drunk alcohol that night.
According to the arrest affidavit, after a midnight stop at McDonalds, the group stopped at a parking lot at the intersection of Patton and Dairy Drives.
The victim said she’d gotten out of the car to go to the restroom in the bushes, and when she returned to the car the two men were physically fighting on the sidewalk.
She said she tried to break up the fight, and then Bahe got back into the passenger seat of the car. The victim said she went after Bahe because it looked like he was taking things out of the car.
Bahe was reportedly pulling the victim’s purse out of the car.
The victim said she grabbed her purse in an attempt to stop Bahe from taking it, and then he allegedly punched her in the face two times.
Bahe then reportedly took off with the victim’s purse and ran towards the mountains.
The victim said she tried to chase after Bahe, but she ultimately lost him.
The Michael Kors purse reportedly had $900, a $200 Michael Kors wallet, a Samsung Galaxy J7 cell phone, personal documents, and the victim’s ID inside it. The purse itself was valued at $1,000.
The victim also told Hoffman that she had texted Bahe since the incident, and he only replied with threats.
A judge signed a warrant for Bahe’s arrest on Oct. 28, 2020. He was finally served that warrant on Feb. 20. A judge signed a no contact order between Bahe and the victim on Feb. 23.
Bahe’s preliminary hearing in Gallup Magistrate Court is scheduled for March 11. He is facing one count of robbery.
