Sister: Abuse drove woman to murder
Andrea Egger
Staff Writer
GALLUP — Tommy Charley's physical abuse, neglect of his children
and adultery drove his wife over the edge and caused her to shoot
three of their children to death, her sister said.
Melinda Ashley who lives and works at the Grand Canyon, said Friday
that she was "surprised and shocked" at a story in the
Independent Tuesday quoting Tommy Charley's letter regarding the
shooting deaths of his children, Ganelle, 11, Jerrel, 10, and
Radelle, 9. Their mother, Elvira Charley, 31, is in federal prison
in Florence, Ariz., after admitting she "hurt" her children
on New Year's Day.
Navajo Police found the three children dead of gunshot wounds,
and officers noted they'd been shot about five hours before their
mother called 911.
Ashley, Elvira Charley's younger sister, also blames the Navajo
Division of Social Services for not doing enough for her sister
when she turned to the agency and the tribe for help. But mainly,
she blames Tommy Charley.
"He neglected the care of his kids," Ashley said.
Tommy Charley, now of Iyanbito, left his wife in July after having
an affair, Ashley said, adding that he beat her sister regularly
during their 13-year relationship. After he left, he never visited
the children.
"If he wanted his kids, why did he leave her in the first
place?" Ashley wondered.
She said she doesn't believe he should receive custody of the
remaining three younger children. Instead, she believes one of
her aunts would be a better parent.
As an example of Tommy Charley's treatment of his children, Ashley
described a conversation Elvira Charley told Ashley that Jerrel
and Tommy Charley had shortly before Christmas.
"Jerrel said he wanted his Santa Claus to come home for Christmas,"
Ashley said. Jerrel referred to his father. "He (Tommy Charley)
told Jerrel to find his own (expletive) Santa Claus."
"There's a different side of him" than was portrayed
in the newspaper, Ashley said.
She also doesn't believe he wrote the letter that he signed and
had delivered to the Independent. "The words used —
he doesn't have good English," she said.
She said she believes someone who "went to college"
wrote that letter for him, perhaps his girlfriend.
Ashley described "all the pain and torture" Elvira Charley
received from her husband: "They had a fight one time. She
had a miscarriage because of that."
She doesn't believe he physically abused the children, but being
in the house when he beat their mother abused them emotionally,
she said.
Ashley said her sister just snapped under the pressure of handling
six children by herself, the younger ones too small for her to
leave alone so she could get a job, combined with the years of
physical abuse and the knowledge he was cheating on her.
Elvira Charley became mentally unstable the day she was driven
to shoot her children, Ashley said.
"I am supporting my sister," she said. "I don't
think she meant to hurt her children. She loved her kids. I think
it was Tommy Charley's fault."
Elvira Charley spoke to their parents, Andrew and Glenda Ashley
of Burntwater, Ariz., near Houck, a couple of days before the
children's death.
"She was telling my parents she doesn't know what to do,
because he left her and she can't take care of the kids. She was
crying. My parents told her to go take care of the kids and let
him (Tommy Charley) be," Melinda Ashley said.
Social Services staff members should have seen warning signs of
potential suicidal or homicidal tendencies in her sister when
they took her to the shelter in Farmington to examine her suicidal
and emotional problems, Ashley said.
"I hope the tribe will look at this and find other solutions
to keep this from happening again," Ashley said.
Cecilia Belone, executive director of the Division of Social Services,
said Friday that any specific information about Elvira Charley's
case is confidential.
"I can never truly understand what the families might be
feeling. We can empathize, and our hearts go out to them,"
Belone said.
She referred to an "issue paper" released last week
by Social Services to address the recent deaths of children in
various cases on the reservation. The paper describes how anxiety
and depression are common in families of limited income, and some
of this weariness is taken out on each other physically when intervention
isn't taken.
"In order to adequately address these family dynamics, those
involved must be held accountable (family, staff, leadership).
We have an obligation to provide the guidance, direction and leadership
necessary to empower families so they may be self-sufficient,"
according to the paper.
Of the services rendered by the Social Services department, about
35 percent goes to intervention and treatment, Belone said.
All divisions of the tribe lack resources, she said, adding that
the tribe should reevaluate where the resources they have are
going.
"What we hold most dearest to our hearts, we need to put
money toward that — and that's our children," Belone
said.
Melinda Ashley heard about the murders on the TV in Arizona, and
then one of her aunt's called her to tell her what happened. She
said it was horrible to learn about the incident from the media
before she heard about it from family members.
"I didn't think this would ever happen. It was like a nightmare,"
she said.
At first, she was angry at her sister. Then she realized all her
sister was dealing with and her anger turned toward Tommy Charley,
his girlfriend, and Social Services.
"This makes the tribe and Social Services look bad. At election
time, they say they are going to do this or that, but they never
do," Ashley said.
She had never seen a sign of violence in Elvira Charley. "She's
always been a good person. She's fun to be with, she likes joking
around with people. She helped a lot around the house. She hauled
wood for our dad. She likes to cook. She's always an upbeat person,"
Ashley said.
Their parents are having a hard time adjusting, Ashley said: "Sometimes
Dad can't eat; sometimes he can't sleep."
Melinda Ashley last saw her nieces and nephews in April in Gallup.
She said Ganelle and Radelle were a bit shy, but Ganelle liked
to cook and Radelle liked to play with the younger children.
Jerrel liked to joke around and be silly, she said.
"It's sad they won't be able to do stuff in high school,
like go to prom or basketball games. They won't be able to go
to college," Ashley said. "They were all smart, academic-wise,
good in sports. They are going to miss a lot out of life."
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N.M. bill would separate Native American
education
Walter Howerton Jr.
Legislative Reporter
SANTA FE — A bill has been introduced that would give Native
American education a place of its own in the State Department of Education.
The Indian Education Act was introduced in the New Mexico House by
Navajo Rep. Ray Begaye, D-San Juan. It will be carried in the Senate
by Sen. Leonard Tsosie, D-Bernalillo, McKinley, Los Alamos, Rio Arriba,
Sandoval.
Begaye said the act said that in many ways Indians have been left
out of the educational process in the state by "more or less
avoiding them." He said that if the state is determined to get
its average test scores up, it "must pay attention to Indian
education" and find ways to boost the performance of its Native
American students.
Currently, Indian education is lumped with a variety of other programs
including alternative education, before and after school programs,
multilingual-multicultural education and curriculum and technology
programs.
The proposals in the act were developed by an advisory committee including
the Superintendent Michael Davis, Department of Education, Office
of Indian Affairs, the governor's office and others. Begaye said the
act has the support of statee ducation officials.
The act's purpose is to assure equitable education for Native American
students,ensure maintenance of native languages, develop systems that
positively impact Indian students and structure a formal government-to-government
relationship with the
tribes.
Begaye said the new act would create a division of Indian education
withits own assistant superintendent appointed by the state superintendent.
In addition to helping design programs and create testing systems
that would accommodate Native American needs, the Indian education
division would be in charge ofprograms to recruit more Indian teachers
and administrators, including providing academic financial support.
The division would be charged with providing teacher preparation for
Natives and non-Natives. Begaye said, "They will get teachers
better prepared to deal with and know more about the Indian cultures
represented in their classrooms. Many teachers now know nothing about
dealing with those cultural differences." He said such cultural
education would be done with short-term programs.
In another part of the program, "we would revisit licensing"
in an effortto ease the rules on passing a licensing exam. Begaye
said. Such an effort could prove tough when other lawmakers have been
fighting for tougher licensing standards.
"People come here from the East Coast or some place and take
the licensing exam and pass it. Then many of them become disasters
in the classroom," he said. "But we have Native American
teachers who are dedicated to what they do and are very good in the
classroom. Some of these teachers have a hard time with the licensing
exam.We want away to get them back into the education system and into
the classroom."
Part of that process might include instituting a review board to meet
with and evaluate Indian teachers who have not passed the written
state exam.
We want a pool of Native American teachers to draw from," Begaye
said. The act also seeks to "establish an Indian education office
in thenorthwest corner of the state" that would attend to details
and monitoring of the program statewide.
Begaye is seeking an appropriation of nearly $2.5 million for the
Indian Education Division.
"It will be an uphill battle on the money," he said, but
added that he believes this is a way to coordinate Indian education
statewide for the first time and "a way of having Indian students
merge into and participate successfully in the state education system,"
not further separate Indian students into a world of their own.
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New Middle College High School is a
first for Gallup
Zsombor Peter
Staff Writer
GALLUP — The opening of UNM-Gallup's Middle College High School
in the fall of 2002 will mark a national first in education says the
program's principal, Joe Sweeney.
The Middle College High School (MCHS) will offer secondary students
career and technical training on the UNM-G campus while allowing them
to fulfill high school graduation requirements at the same time as
earning college credit. Rather than compete for students with the
district's public and private high schools, however, the MCHS targets
two populations Gallup-McKinley schools do not service: dropouts —
who account for approximately 3 percent of the districts' high school
population — and the home-schooled.
What makes the program unique, says Sweeney, is its status as a chartered
school, which means greater autonomy for its board over curricula,
faculty selection and other issues effecting the school's general
direction. It also means the school must comply with state board of
education standards.
And while other middle colleges serve high school students from grades
nine through twelve, the UNM-G program will limit itself to eleventh
and twelfth-graders in its efforts to ease student transition from
secondary to post-secondary studies. "The middle college will
help these students get a feel for college," said Sweeney, "it
gives them an opportunity to develop independence, maturity . . .
and it will give them an edge."
UNM-G's middle college will also be the first to provide one-on-one
mentoring for each student in his or her field of interest, says Sweeney.
The program will provide these mentors from among the university's
current faculty (who will teach all MCHS classes) where possible.
Students expressing interest in fields not adequately represented
among the faculty will be matched with qualified mentors from outside
the university; they will be required to possessing either a master's
or any necessary licenses. In addition to mentors, the MCHS will hire
its own secretary and councilor to work in unison with the mentors.
Sweeney, who currently serves as principal of UNM-G's Center for Career
and Technical Education, has many years of experience as both a teacher
and administrator to draw from in preparing to head the new middle
college. Besides teaching at middle and high schools, he has also
taught at ten colleges and universities throughout the country. As
an administrator, his roles have included those of a high school principal,
a bilingual director and a facilities planner. After receiving his
bachelor's in business, he also served as a law enforcement officer
while earning his master's and doctorate, both in teaching and administration.
As principal of the MCHS, his duties will include overseeing the mentors
and career councilor, reporting to the program's board and state department
of education, and, as Sweeney says, "providing vision and leadership."
Eligible students need a minimum of 10 high school credits by the
time they apply, having acquired those credits either before dropping
out, through correspondence courses or through accredited home-school
organizations. To help admission staff assess what level of studies
applicants are prepared for, they must also take two tests: the Accuplacer
and the TABE, or Test of Adult Basic Skills. To complete the application
process, students must finally meet with a three-person admission
team.
The middle college's mission is to provide individualized post-secondary
opportunities for dropout and home-schooled students, who traditionally
are less likely to attend university than students matriculating directly
from high school, and Sweeney says staff are targeting these populations
in their recruitment efforts.
As Gallup-McKinley County School (GMCS) administrators have been noting,
however, including Superintendent Robert Gomez and Assistant to the
Superintendent Angelo DiPaolo, who raised the issue at the Dec. 10
board meeting that saw the MCHS's approval, the chartered public school
cannot restrict access to any particular population of students.
Because the MCHS will select its 50 applicant through a lottery system
to avoid the sort of discrimination district administrators worry
about, Gomez is skeptical about how effectively the school will be
able to recruit its target populations, especially with the program's
appeal to currently enrolled students who see the advantage of earning
college credits even before graduating from high school.
Another concern among GMCS administrators is the money that will leave
along with each high school junior and senior now attending a district
school who heads over to the middle college: over $3,000.
Additional concerns over other such issues as transportation funding
for MCHS students and background checks for student mentors forced
GMCS board members to defer approval for the school when in came to
vote at the Nov. 19 board meeting.
Although a task force of UNM-G and GMCS administrators convened to
resolve those issues, concerns remain. Besides the issue of targeting
specific student populations, Gomez is troubled by another possibility.
He wonders if students who have dropped out of school because of difficulty
with the material will suddenly be prepared to handle college-level
courses, and said many "won't be ready for the reading and learning
challenge."
Noting studies from such bodies as the Consortium of Middle College
High Schools and the U.S. Department of Education
that he says demonstrate the success of high school juniors and seniors
in college environments, Sweeney remains optimistic.
"This is an add-on program to the university and county schools
and is a great opportunity for 50 more students to get a sound, solid
education," he said.
Still, Gomez remains wary of the outstanding problems he notices.
"You have to do your homework before you put these things into
place," he said, "and I wish there was more co-operation
with us before it was brought to the board."
The school will cost a projected $419 thousand annually, which will
be covered through a combination of federal and state funds.
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Area sports
Carrie Loretto
Sports Editor
GALLUP — Gallup's performance from the perimeter was about the
only thing girls basketball coach John Lomasney was happy about.
Behind one of its best three-point shooting performances of the season,
the Lady Bengals won their District 1AAAAA opener, beating Albuquerque
High 62-40 at home Friday night.
Sparked by a three-point goal from Sheena Begay midway through the
first period, the Bengals (10-3, 1-0) made 8-of-19 from the perimeter
to handily defeat the Lady Bulldogs (7-6, 0-1).
"I think we could've played better," Lomasney, a strong
believer in fundamentals, said. "We did a great job shooting
threes, but we're still not doing the basic things consistently. There's
still things we're messing up on: not filling lanes, not blocking
out, not making free throws. We tend to relax at times, that's where
the turnovers happened."
Gallup lost the ball 19 times on turnovers, most of them unforced
errors. The Bengals outrebounded the shorter Lady Bulldogs 29 to 20
and held Albuquerque High to just 38 percent field goal shooting (17-of-45)
while shooting nearly 49 percent (20-of-41). However, the Bengals
almost shot better from three-point range (42.1 percent) than from
the free throw line where they were only 14-of-26 (53.8 percent).
"That could hurt us in close games," Lomasney said.
Albuquerque High didn't fare much better from the line making only
4-of-13.
Vanessa Hubbard set the tone for the free throw shooting performance,
missing the first set of two 23 seconds into the game.
Albuquerque took advantage to take the first lead of the game on a
basket by Barbara Baca.
Three straight turnovers kept Gallup scoreless until Rhonda Begay
and Sheena Begay came off the bench to spark a 12-0 run.
Rhonda Begay hit the Bengals' first basket, then Sheena Begay nailed
the first of her two threes.
Tanya Bailey got the ball into Candace Roanhorse, isolated inside,
who drew the foul and made both free throws.
Bailey, who led the team in rebounding with nine boards, rebounded
a missed three-point attempt and assisted Anna Antonio for Gallup's
next score. Sheena Begay capped the run with her second trey, two
feet behind the three-point line.
Albuquerque High ended its scoreless streak in the final minute of
the quarter with a basket from Courtney Campos that made it 12-4 at
the end of the period.
Another pair of threes from Hubbard and Bailey, left open for an instant
on the perimeter, put Gallup in control for good giving the Bengals
a 24-7 cushion. By half-time Gallup had built a 32-14 lead despite
making only 7-of-15 free throws.
Another three by Bailey ignited another 12-4 run during which the
Bengals made 5-of-6 field goals as they put the game away, 44-18.
Hubbard scored five of her team-high 14 points, including her second
three and a fastbreak layup, during that run.
"People want us to run, but if we're not doing the basic things
right, I'm not going to compound the mistake by (pushing the ball),
that's not my game," Lomasney said. "If (opponents) give
us the opportunity to run, we're going to do it. If we get two or
three opportunities a game and score that's one thing. But we gotta
cut down on our turnovers."
Lomasney played his bench most of the second half.
The Bengals will go on the road tonight to face West Mesa.
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UNM-Gallup names Elizabeth Miller as
interim director
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — The University of New Mexico in Gallup has
named its dean of instruction to be interim director.
Elizabeth Miller will become interim director Jan. 28, replacing Robert
Carlson, UNM said Friday in a news release.
Carlson will resign early this spring to become president of Chabot
College in Hayward, Calif.
Miller has been dean of instruction since 1996...
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Train to Grand Canyon hopes to reduce traffic
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A tourist railroad that travels to
Grand Canyon National Park is proposing to run an express train
to reduce the number of cars traveling to the canyon.
Park officials have been trying to establish a light rail system
to eliminate traffic congestion at the canyon's South Rim, which
is contributing to a pollution problem at the park.
The plan by the Grand Canyon Railway would compete with proposals
being explored by the National Park Service, which is considering
banning private vehicles from the South Rim and and shuttling park
visitors from Tusayan to the canyon.
Instead of visitors boarding buses or light rail in Tusayan six
miles away, the railway's plan would have visitors board trains
65 miles away in Williams...
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Tribal panel backs education bill
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — The Inter Government Relations Committee has
come out in favor of a proposal to allow children on the Navajo
Reservation in New Mexico, Colorado and Utah to attend Arizona public
schools.
The bill also would affect children on two other reservations that
overlap Arizona, Nevada and California.
By a 6-0 vote Tuesday, the Navajo Nation Council's "committee
of committees" endorsed the as yet unnumbered bill for the
second session of the 45th Legislature. The session began Monday
with Gov. Jane Hull's State of the State address challenging the
90 lawmakers not to raise taxes or injure education while cutting
$850 million from the 2002-2003 budget...
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Overpass delay to 2007 moots name change proposal
Bill Donovan
Staff Writer
GALLUP — There's no great need for the city council to rush
into a decision about renaming Munoz Overpass, officials said Thursday.
Gallup City Manager David Ruiz said during his regular weekly news
conference that work on the overpass, which was originally scheduled
to begin this year, has been delayed until at least 2007.
Ruiz was responding to a petition being circulated by students at
Fort Wingate High School to rename the overpass just south of the
Rio West Mall after Narbona, one of the most famous Navajo peace
chiefs of the 19th century.
There was talk of renaming the pass when the state did the major
renovation, the normal time when cities change a name, but now those
discussions will also be postponed...
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Tribal fire calls
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — The Navajo Nation Fire Department answered the
following calls, Chief Larry Chee said:
Window Rock station — Jan. 12, approximately 9 p.m., fire in
the underfloor of Frank Naswood's mobile home in Sawmill
Chapter from embers from coals heating foundation for an adjacent
home; Jan. 12, approximately 4 p.m., traffic collision with
minor injuries at Mile Post 31 on BIA Route 12 near Window Rock
High School in Fort Defiance with one person taken to
IHS hospital; Jan. 10, no time given, injury traffic collision at
Mile Post 464 on Ariz. Route 264, about five miles west of The
Summit with one person taken to hospital in critical condition;
Jan. 10, no time given, injury traffic collision at Mile Post 28
on
BIA Route 12 between Window Rock and Fort Defiance with four people
taken to the IHS hospital in Fort Defiance; Jan. 8,
unoccupied conventional house fire extinguished with roof damage
from undetermined cause on Lagoon Road about a half-
mile south of Ariz. Route 264 in Window Rock...
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Deaths
Harry H. Yazzie
SHIPROCK — Services for Harry Yazzie, 79, will be held at 10
a.m., Monday, Jan. 21 at Mesa View Assembly of God
Church in Shiprock. Pastor Eric Lee will officiate. Burial will
follow at Shiprock Community Cemetery.
Yazzie died Jan. 18 in Farmington.
Survivors include his wife, Isabelle Woody Yazzie; sons, Duane "Chili"
Yazzie of Shiprock, Teddy W. Yazzie of Albuquerque;
daughters, Phyllis Ashike and Shirley Yazzie both of Shiprock; brother,
Jimmy H. Yazzie of Sanostee; nine grandchildren and
11 great-grandchildren.
Yazzie was preceded in death by his parents, Hatahli and Pauline
Yazzie.
Pallbearers will be Shawn Davis, Richard Yazzie, Allen Ashike, Lance
H. Yazzie, Freddie Yazzie and Jeffery Joe.
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