4 escapees remain free
Henderson put on leave

First Mesa cops await extra authority

Area in brief

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4 escapees remain free
Henderson put on leave

Sekai K. Mutunhu
Staff Writer

GALLUP — With one down and four to go, law enforcement agencies continue to search for the remaining fugitives who broke out of the McKinley County Adult Detention Center early Friday.

McKinley County Sheriff Frank Gonzales said he believes the men fled Gallup soon after escaping.
"We had a lot of reports over the weekend but I believe they are gone," he said.

On the morning the most recent escapes occurred, Facility Administrator Mabel Henderson took a leave of absence and was replaced by CSC official Bob Bass and David Beck, a corporate jail consultant based in North Carolina.

At the time, Bass said Henderson's departure was not connected with the escapes. However, this morning Bass confirmed that Henderson was "relieved of duty" as a result of the escape but said she has not been terminated.

Bass said Henderson will use up the 100 hours of annual leave she has coming to her and he will oversee the daily operations of the jail until it is handed over to Management and Training Corp. Jan.1.

This morning, sheriff's deputies headed to Albuquerque to interview Timothy Mora, one of the escapees who turned himself in at the Bernalillo County Detention Center Sunday morning. Gonzales said he hopes the interview will reveal more details about the escape.

In the meantime, law enforcement agencies are hoping to hear from citizens who may spot the four fugitives.
Mora and four others climbed out of a skylight and used a rope made of bedsheets to lower themselves down the south side wall of the medium-security jail around 1 a.m. Friday.

Mora, 24, was being held on a $550,000 bond and was charged with auto burglary, possession of drug paraphernalia, aggravated burglary, kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

If all the paperwork is completed, Gonzales said deputies plan to bring Mora back to McKinley County today where he will be arraigned on escape charges.

Police continue to search for:
Oscar Vasquez, 34, charged with criminal sexual contact with a minor and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was being held without bond.

Luis Zoto, 30, charged with kidnapping, criminal sexual penetration of a minor. He was being held on $200,000 bond.
Jesus Peregrino Ruiz, 33, charged with kidnapping and criminal sexual penetration. He was being held on a $250,000 bond.
Steve Wagner, 39, charged with residential burglary. He was being held on $17,000 bond.

All five escapees had been transferred to Gallup from the Bernalillo County lock up.

Since Sept. 5, 12 inmates have escaped from the McKinley County Adult Detention Center, which is privately run by Correctional Services Corporation. The company recently lost its contract with the county.

After Friday's escape, CSC officials cited concerns with the structural integrity of the jail and transported 70 inmates all of whom had been transferred in from other lock-ups back to their respective counties.

The jail is on lock-down until the Ogden, Utah-based Management & Training Corporation takes over operations Jan.1.

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First Mesa cops await extra authority

Stan Bindell
Special to the Independent

POLACCA, Ariz. — Hopi Chairman Wayne Taylor Jr. should sign off before the end of the year on tribal commissioning of the four police officers working at First Mesa Consolidated Villages.

Taylor said he is waiting for verification of documents and the knowledge that the funding for the Community Oriented Policing System is in place before he grants these four officers their tribal commission. He praised First Mesa for meeting the requirements that different tribal entities have requested.

The four officers are state certified; three worked as Hopi rangers and one worked for the Navajo Nation Department of Law Enforcement before going to work for First Mesa. But the four officers were not granted tribal commissioning because it wasn't clear that their policies were the same as the Hopi police. The lack of commissioning keeps the four officers from arresting suspects; all they can do is detain them until Hopi police arrive.

Ivan Sidney, community service administrator at First Mesa Consolidated Villages, hailed the pending signature of the chairman.
"Our programs are continuing and the commissioning will allow more services. I'm encouraged that other villages will allow more services. I'm encouraged that other villages are discussing developing similar programs," he said.

Sidney said the documents that the chairman is awaiting include a resolution by the Hopi Tribal Council supporting the commissioning of the officers and a memorandum of agreement with the Hopi BIA police that sets the perimeters for the work of the First Mesa officers. The key to the MOA may be that the officers, while continuing to work out of First Mesa, would be under the supervision of the Hopi BIA police.

Taylor said during these lean budget times it is important to consolidate and he will propose that the tribal council also consider placing the Hopi rangers under the Hopi-BIA police. He said two law enforcement committees may consider this along with other law enforcement issues.

"I'm concerned about the limited resources that we have. What we've begun in earnest is lobbying the BIA and the Department of Justice for more law enforcement resources," he said.

Taylor said more funding for officers and equipment was approved for Fiscal Year 1999-2000, but that more is needed. He emphasized that having police at First Mesa can help the village with a sense of empowerment.

Sidney said funding is not an issue because the federally funded COPS program is continually reimbursing First Mesa for the money it puts out for the four officers.

Hopi Police Chief Alfonse Sakeva recommended approval of the MOA as he believes the additional police will help the Hopi police who have often found themselves underfunded and undermanned.

Richard Armstrong, district commander for the region for the Hopi BIA police, said the First Mesa police provide a service to the community and that's why he signed off the MOA.

"This is a long time coming because we haven't fully provided that service. The demands have multiplied three fold. There have been more violence, more drugs and more juvenile problems. We haven't kept pace. We need alternatives and First Mesa has offered that. This allows us to spend more time in other villages," Armstrong said.

Sidney said community police work can help change the tide of rising crime.

"My words are partnership and community service," he said.

Sidney, a former Hopi BIA police chief, said the additional officers will enable police at First Mesa and throughout the Hopi Reservation to have a quicker response time. He added that with more services coming to the area, such as a medical center and a shopping center, that more police services will be needed.

Sidney said he believes police service is best handled at the local level and First Mesa exercised its village autonomy when it started the program in August 1998. He emphasized that according to the Hopi Constitution that the tribe is a union of self-governing village and each village has the right to exercise that authority.

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Area in brief

VFW meeting

GALLUP — The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 818 will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday downstairs at the McKinley County Courthouse. Information: (505) 726-9423.

Planning meeting

LITTLE WATER — The Littlewater Chapter House will hold its planning meeting at 8 a.m. Wednesday. Information: (505) 786-2120.

Board meeting

MARIANO LAKE — Mariano Lake Community School Inc. will hold its regular school board meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in a school classroom. Refreshments will be served.

Free computer training

GALLUP — Parents Learning Technology Inc. will hold a free basic computer training from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Gallup Technology Center at Gallup Middle School.

Christmas celebration

GANADO, Ariz. — A Fine Arts Christmas Celebration will be held at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Ganado High School gym. Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for students and ages 5 and under admitted free. Concession sales will be available. Information: (520) 755-1329.

NARFE meeting

GALLUP — The National Association of Retired Federal Employees will meet at noon for a no-host luncheon on Wednesday at El Rancho Hotel. Information: (505) 863-5712.

Christmas parade

CROWNPOINT — A Christmas parade will be held at 10 a.m. Dec. 16 in Crownpoint. The parade will go from the U.S. Post Office to the area's Conoco Station. Parade entries for participants will cost $10. Information: (505) 786-2000.

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Fort Sumner to honor captives

Bill Donovan
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — For almost five years, the proud but defeated Navajo people lived in captivity at Fort Sumner, more than 350 miles from their homelands.

The captivity ended in 1868 with the signing of a treaty between the Navajos and the federal government, but more than 130 years later, efforts are still under way to erect a memorial to this period in Navajo history...

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Diabetes grant targets kids

S.J. Ludescher
Staff Writer

GALLUP — The Diabetes Advisory Council of Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital has received a $487,000 three-year grant to take diabetes education into the public schools.

Education Coordinator Allison Kozeliski said the program is in keeping with RMCH's focus on wellness during the coming year.
"This is a home-grown, grass-roots approach," she said. "There's a lot of programs that focus on adults, but we wanted something to target kids..."

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KTNN Radio gets ready for possible glitches on Jan. 1

Bill Donovan
Diné Bureau

GALLUP — The Navajo Nation is officially ready for whatever occurs when the new century is born.

Tazbah McCullah, manager of the tribe's radio stations KTNN and KWRK, said the tribal enterprise has been loaned a backup generator for use during the last weekend of the year and the beginning of the new one...

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Hopi family wins award from NPC

Stan Bindell
Special to the Independent

POLACCA, Ariz. — The Nahsonhoya family has been selected the alumni of the month for November for Northland Pioneer College.

NPC President Gary Passer and NPC Governing Board member Ivan Sidney bestowed the honor on the Nahsonhoya family during a recent NPC meeting at Hopi High School. This is the first time the award has gone to an entire family rather than an individual...

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Gomez still wants Milan board seat

Tom Purdom
Staff Writer

MILAN — When the village board of trustees remained silent about Rebecca Gomez's bid for a vacant trustee seat, it got the former government worker down, but by no means is she out.

She believes the temporary trustee job is rightfully hers and she has given the board of trustees, through a letter, 10 days to respond.
Milan Mayor Elisabeth Lopez-Rael, who appointed Gomez in the first place during the Nov. 16 trustee meeting, also thinks the job belongs to Gomez...

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Head Start needs a boost

Repairs would cost $6M

Editor's note: This is the last in a series about the Navajo Nation's Education Department.

Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — An estimated $6 million is needed to repair 110 Head Start centers on the Navajo Nation. But only $1.6 million was available when a crash program went into effect last year to repair the centers.

Some of the Head Start centers opened in 1960 and the newest structures went into use in 1995...

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