Two arrested in theft of prehistoric pots

By Jim Maniaci
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — An 18-year-old man and his 48-year-old uncle have Magistrate Court dates on Aug. 22 and Sept. 26, respectively, for their parts in allegedly stealing and selling an ancient small vase and bowl worth an estimated $40,000.

Aron Spencer, 18, of 111 Pinion Street in Bluewater Village will be in court for a preliminary examination on charges of 2nd-degree larceny of more than $20,000 and 3rd-degree felony residential burglary. A 2nd-degree felony carries a maximum punishment, if the defendant is convicted, of nine years in prison and $10,000 fine. A 3rd-degree felony carries a maximum punishment, if the defendant is convicted, of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine. John Bezzeg was appointed his attorney, as the youth works in a family automotive garage for his rent and school expenses.

His uncle, David Spencer, 48, of 100 Lawrence Dr., will have his preliminary examination Sept. 26 on charges of 3rd-degree felony receiving stolen property and 3rd-degree felony disposing of stolen property. Daniel Salazar was appointed his attorney.

Shortly before 11 p.m. Friday, Cibola County Deputy Sheriff George Hanna was sent to the home of Jolene Spencer, 55, at 111 Pinon St. in Bluewater Village. She had returned home from a Utah trip to find a broken window with the two ancient Indian pots gone. She placed their combined value at $40,000. Also gone was a jar containing $60 in quarters and two gold rings, with no value given at the time.

She told the deputy the loot was taken from her bedroom. She had called her neighbor and sister-in-law, Kay Spencer, who in turn questioned her son Aron. The young adult told his mom he gave them to his uncle David for safekeeping.

"He (Aron) then came by his aunt's house accompanied by his mother and confessed this to me," the deputy said.

After waiving his Miranda rights at the sheriff's office, he was booked into the Cibola County Detention Center on Saturday on a $15,000 bond. As of Monday afternoon, he remained behind bars.

The deputy then went and questioned David Spencer, who said he had sold the pots to a doctor for $500.

At the sheriff's office, "David admitted to me that he should have known the items were stolen, but he needed the money to pay bills," Hanna said.

Then he was booked into the county jail Saturday, being released Monday afternoon on an unsecured $20,000 bond. Magistrate Jackie Fisher added being fingerprinted to the eight standard conditions of release.

Gallup man's cabin burglarized
Thieves stole almost a dozen items, including four weapons, from a Gallup man's residential compound east of McGaffey Lake in a burglary discovered last Thursday.

According to Cibola County Deputy Sheriff Tony Mace, the thieves used bolt cutters to get through two gates to the second home of Richard Krouth, 52, off U.S. Forest Service Road 157 in the Zuni Mountains. Krouth lived there all summer and had gone to the big motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D. In Gallup he lives at 1014 E. Green St.

While nothing was missing from a house under construction, a new 14-inch television, a new digital video disc player, a bottle of Wild Turkey whiskey, a .22 caliber rifle described as a "hand-me-down," his hunting license and several DVD movies were gone from a camper trailer in which he had forgotten to lock a window. From a garage the thieves used the bolt cutters again to snip off a lock and steal a 1984 Honda dirt bike, two chain saws and three compound hunting bows.

The owner was not able to provide much identification to aid in the investigation except for the TV and DVD player being fresh from their boxes. No dollar amount could be attached to the loss, but local stores dealing in the type of merchandise which is missing were to be notified.

To contact reporter Jim Maniaci in Grants, telephone 285-6184 or (505) 870-7775 (cellular).