Navajo Nation will cooperate in extraditions

By Jim Maniaci
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — The Cibola County Sheriff's Office has received notice from the Navajo Nation that its prosecutors will honor extradition of a couple wanted on state warrants involving 664 counts of sexual contact with children and related charges.

Warrants for the arrests of Russell Wilson, 33, and Julie Wilson, 34, were signed by Cibola Presiding Magistrate Jackie Fisher on Sept. 11, to be served anywhere in New Mexico. Lt. Harry Hall of the CCSO said on Sept. 16 Judge Eliseo Alcon extended the warrants to be served anywhere in the U.S.

The lieutenant added that the sheriff's office learned the couple first went to Colorado, then retreated into the Crownpoint district of the reservation within five days of the extended warrants. He said the Navajo Nation Public Safety Division had declined to apprehend the couple, based on his telephone calls in mid-September.

Before the White Collar Crime Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor for the Navajo Nation Attorney General's Office would proceed with the waiver, Senior Prosecutor Ella Rose Wilson said the tribe required many documents, such as a letter demanding extradition, a copy of the original charge (criminal complaint), copy of the original arrest warrant accompanied by the affidavit to obtain the warrant, where the suspects live and other relevant information.

Ella Rose Wilson's letter acknowledged on Oct. 11 that the requirements had been met, Hall said.

Deputy Sheriff Mike Oelcher charged Russell Wilson with two sets of criminal sexual contact with minors ages 13-18 totaling 656 counts, two counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor, one count of false imprisonment and one count of child abuse.

According to the deputy sheriff, his crimes are alleged to have occurred from July 21, 2005, through June 16, 2006.

Oelcher charged Julie Wilson who also has been known as Julie King, Julie Rice and Julie Reichle with three counts of child abuse and one count of obstructing the investigation of a child abuse case.

Mrs. Wilson was supposed to have taken one of the two minors involved to Albuquerque on Aug. 12 as part of a Children-Youth-Families Department case. Lawmen said she skipped town the day before the appointment. Her alleged crimes, according to Oelcher, took place from July 21, 2005, through Aug. 11, 2006.

Although they share the same surname, the Wilsons lived at different addresses in the Milan area.

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