July 4 quiet for firefighters

It was a relatively quiet July 4 for reservation firefighters.

Fire Chief Larry Chee said that while he is still getting reports from the field, no major fires were reported. Those he does know about were minor brush fires and were quickly extinguished.

All were started by people shooting off fireworks in violation of the tribe's reservation-wide ban on their use. Despite the ban, which is permanent and has no exceptions, fireworks sales are big business in the area bordering Navajo land.

Most counties in the region allow the sales, and Navajos flock to buy them from roadside vendors at every holiday. A local Gallup publication conducted an unofficial poll last month and found that around 30 percent of respondents reported spending more than $100 on fireworks.

Meanwhile, at least one nearby city, Flagstaff, cancelled its usual fireworks display, citing the dry conditions.

Chee said there were a number of instances where fireworks were confiscated on the reservation. The owners were reminded that Navajo Nation law prohibits fireworks anywhere on the reservation.

Police nail drug runners

Navajo Nation police on two occasions arrested non-Natives in early July for transporting illegal drugs across the reservation.

The first case occurred July 1 when a car was stopped on Interstate 40 near Sanders, Ariz., for various traffic violations.

The officer reported smelling a strong odor of marijuana coming from the car. The driver, identified as Kaylean Tenopir, no age given, of Lincoln, Neb., admitted to police that there were marijuana pipes in the car.

During a search, police also discovered 100 pounds of marijuana in the truck. Tenopir was arrested and the marijuana was confiscated.

Two days later, within a mile of where the first arrest occurred, police stopped a van driven by Steve Casilas, no age given, of Taos, N.M.

He admitted to driving across the center line and having no driver's license. He also appeared nervous and exhibited signs of criminal behavior, according to the police report. During a search, police found 4.25 pounds of marijuana and five grams of hashish. A gram is one 28th of an ounce.

Police seek identity of rollover fatality

Navajo police are trying to identify a man who died in a one-car rollover June 27 near Smith Lake, N.M.

The man, now identified as John Doe, was found at 4:57 a.m. on State Route 371 near a Dodge truck.

At the time, he was alive and walking around, although seemingly dazed, according to the police report. Police officers urged him to sit down and not to move because the way he held his head made them think he might have head injuries.

He was alive at the time the ambulance came but, according to the police report, he died on the way to the hospital.

Police later learned that the truck had been stolen from the Bluewater, N.M., area.

Pot growing alleged in Tohatchi

A Tohatchi, N.M., house was raided June 26 and the occupant arrested for growing marijuana in a joint operation headed by the Navajo Nation Police and including officials of the department's gang enforcement unit and agents for the Middle Rio Grande Narcotics Task Force.

Pernell Halona, 50, who lives two miles northwest of the LDS Church, was arrested. Police also seized 179 marijuana plants, some as high as five or six feet.

Criminal charges of cultivating marijuana are pending. The case has been referred to the U.S attorney's office.

Arsonist sought in Shiprock

A June 25 fire that did extensive damage to the Diné Christian Center in Shiprock is being labeled by police as an arson.

Police were called to the scene about 12:40 a.m., and observed a large volume of smoke coming from the east side of the building as well as some flames. Crews from the San Juan Fire Department soon arrived on the scene and put out the fire.

By that time, however, extensive damage had been done to the east side of the building. The west side also received some damage from smoke and heat.

A preliminary investigation revealed that accelerant had been used inside the building, leading to the determination that the fire was deliberately set. Police have listed no suspects in the case.

Coyote Canyon man charged in fire

A Coyote Canyon, N.M., man was arrested June 26 by Gallup police in connection with a fire that took place at a Gallup residence.

City police were called to the scene of the fire, 326 E. Pershing Ave., where they were told that two men were seen running from the area just before the fire started. A little later Gilbert John, 21, who matched the description of one of the men, was picked up.

He was too intoxicated to question but on the following day, he allegedly admitted being responsible for the fire, which started in the shed and then went to the house.

John reportedly said he accidentally dropped some paint thinner and later flicked his cigarette to the ground where it ignited the solvent. He was charged with felony arson.

Kayenta man stabbed

A Kayenta man was stabbed several times in the stomach during a fight that took place June 27 in Shonto, Ariz.

The victim, James Peter Thompson, 26, was flown to Flagstaff Medical Center.

The person accused in the stabbing, Norman C. Begay Jr., 26, of Shonto, was charged with aggravated battery and disorderly conduct.

San Carlos man sentenced for 2nd degree murder

PHOENIX - Patrick Hinton, 54, of Bylas, Ariz., a member of the San Carlos Apache Indian Tribe, was sentenced July 7 to 19 years in federal prison after pleading guilty on April 15, 2010, to second-degree murder, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

On April 11, 2009, Hinton and the victim were socializing and consuming alcohol on the San Carlos Community. During a brief argument, defendant recklessly pointed a .22 caliber rifle at the victim with the intent to frighten her. The rifle then discharged, the bullet striking the victim in the head, causing her death.

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