Second Diné cop charged with DWI

By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau

FORT DEFIANCE — For the second time in less than two weeks an officer with Navajo Nation Division of Law Enforcement has been charged with aggravated DWI.

According to Lt. Darren Soland with New Mexico State Police, Crownpoint Police District Patrol Officer Franklin Betone, 50, was arrested around 7 p.m. Jan. 27 after he was stopped for failure to maintain a lane of travel.

Soland said Wednesday that State Police Officers Paula Kionut and Craig Champion stopped a 2002 Chevrolet truck driven by Betone at Mile Marker 2.5 on Highway 371.

"One of the officers walked up and they observed signs of him consuming alcohol. There was a visible open can of beer in the cup holder. Standardized field sobriety tests were performed and the individual failed them. At that time he was placed under arrest for DWI," Soland said.

According to the offense report, Betone's blood alcohol content (BAC) measured .16 on one test and .15 on another.

On Jan. 16, Lt. John Begay Jr., 52, of Window Rock Police District was arrested just after 1 a.m. by Gallup Police after his vehicle allegedly ran off the roadway near Exit 26 on I-40 and collided with a milepost sign.

According to the report, Begay blew .13 on a portable breathalyzer and upon being booked into McKinley County Jail, agreed to take a breath test. On the first test, he failed to blow consistently, resulting in an insufficient sample.

Upon questioning by Gallup Patrolman Benny Gaona, Lt. Begay told the officer that he had been certified in using the IR 5000 breathalyzer, that he understood the proper way to blow into the machine, and that the way he was blowing in it was incorrect. Begay was asked to blow into the machine a second time, at which point he blew a .18.

A third test was administered which again resulted in an insufficient sample after he failed to blow constant breaths, according to the police report. Begay was charged with aggravated DWI and careless driving.

Police standoff
RED VALLEY — A 19-year-old man was taken into custody without injury Friday after an alleged suicide-by-cop attempt.

Shiprock, Crownpoint and Window Rock Police District officers, led by Sgt. Wallace Billie, team leader for the Window Rock Police Tactical Operations Team, responded to the incident which began shortly after 9 p.m.

According to the report, Sgt. Billie and Window Rock Police Officers Clinton Curtis, Kara Tilden and Leon Mitchell were assigned to provide police services to Shiprock District. At 9:13 p.m., Rita Peshlakai called police to report that her nephew, Myron Jim Billy, was intoxicated and threatening himself with a 9-inch knife.

While en route, officers received a second call notifying them that Billy, whose address was listed as 1 mile north of milepost 8.5 on Route 13 in Red Valley, was now armed with a .223 Remington rifle and had fired once before walking outside into the dark.

Billy fired three more times from a distance, and then returned home carrying the rifle when police arrived. Officers commanded him to drop the rifle, but he refused and wanted to be shot by officers before entering the home, the report states.

Officers deployed a diversion device and then were able to take Billy into custody. He was charged with unlawful use of a weapon. Officers also found that he was wanted on an outstanding bench warrant. Billy was booked into Shiprock jail without further incident. Alcohol was involved, police said.

Man's identity sought
DILKON — The Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations from Dilkon Police District is asking for the public's help in identifying the body of a Native American male found Tuesday, Jan. 25, in an open area at the end of North Park Drive, north of Winslow, within Navajo Reservation boundaries.

The body is described as that of a middle-age male between 45 and 55 years old, 5-feet-6, weighing 200 pounds, with short (2 inch) salt-and-pepper colored hair, acne facial scarring, and a black mustache.

When located the victim was wearing a faded purple jacket with gray lining and a Southwestern design across the chest; a black T-shirt featuring the head of a wolf with red eyes and the word "Respecto" written on it; a blue T-shirt with the lettering 'JEEHDEEZ'A Academy; Talbots-brand blue jeans, and brown, laced leather GBX hiking boots.

Anyone with information is asked to call Senior Criminal Investigator Brad Jones in Leupp at (928) 686-3254 or the main Criminal Investigations office in Dilkon, (928) 657-8050.

Beware counterfeit bills
TSE BONITO — Local businesses are cautioned to be on the lookout for counterfeit $10 and $20 bills after the Speedy's station in Blackhat, N.M., and the Conoco in Tse Bonito reported finding counterfeit money.

According to Patrol Officer Elroy Naswood, Window Rock Police District received a call Friday from the cashier at Speedy's in Blackhat reporting they had found a counterfeit $20 and $10. The bills were marked with a marker which showed a dark brown mark. The cashier did not notice this until preparing a bank deposit.

The Conoco reported finding one bill the previous day that also contained the same dark brown marking and no other evidence of authenticity.

$52,000 in drugs seized
CAMERON — Two Hispanic males were booked into Coconino County Jail on drug charges after the vehicle in which they were traveling was stopped for speeding on U.S. Highway 89 in Cameron. During a search of the vehicle, officers found 3/4 pound of cocaine and 3 grams of methamphetamine.

According to the report, Officer Roderick Whitewater of Tuba City Police District stopped the vehicle around 3 a.m. at milepost 468. After receiving consent to search, officers found a concealed firearm by the driver's seat, along with paraphernalia.

K-9 Officer, Mac, was deployed to search the vehicle, resulting in officers locating two packages of cocaine in the dashboard, packaged for sale, along with methamphetamine believed to be for personal use. The narcotics have an estimated street value of $52,000.

Felipe Sesma Rubio, 27, of Hermosillo Sonora, Mexico, and Limbert Alvarado, 25, of Veracruz, Mexico, were taken into custody and transported to Coconino County Jail in Flagstaff where they are facing federal drug charges.

The case was investigated by Officer Whitewater and Officer Randall Tsinnie, along with Criminal Investigator Michael Begay.

Marijuana found
RED ROCK, N.M. — Wasey Smith, 18, 407 Arnold St., Gallup, and Charmayne Arviso, 18, 1367A Jones Ranch Road, were arrested Jan. 22 after Crownpoint Police Officer Shawn Clark stopped to check on two people allegedly passed out inside a white Dodge Neon.

The vehicle was observed around 2:14 a.m. at milepost 27 on State Route 602. According to the report, Smith, who was identified as the driver of the vehicle, was found in possession of a brick of marijuana and had $499 on his person, believed to be proceeds from drug sales.

He was taken into custody, along with Arviso, who was charged with public intoxication.