Police Blotter: Driver in 2017 wreck facing charges again

LOS ANGELES

Allan Lewis is again facing involuntary manslaughter charges in connection with an accident that occurred in April of 2017 in which three people, two minors and one adult, were killed and two others were seriously injured.

According to Navajo Police reports, Lewis was arrested on April 17 after witnesses reported an accident on Route 9 on the New Mexico portion of the reservation. An investigation revealed that Lewis was driving his Ford Taurus in the wrong lane when he ran into a Chevy Cobalt occupied by a family of five.

According to witnesses, the driver of the Chevy tried to swerve but was unable to do so in time. J.B., 37, and his two female children, ages 13 and three, were killed in the accident, while the 37-year-old driver and another child were treated for severe injuries.

Lewis was also transported by air to Albuquerque for treatment of his injuries and was interviewed there by law enforcement officers. He said he had left Crownpoint about 8:30 p.m.

He said on his way home he had stopped and consumed about 16 ounces of beer. He said he assumed he must have gotten back on the road but he didn’t remember doing so.

He said he remembered falling asleep and then waking up in Albuquerque.

According to medical personnel at the hospital, Lewis was admitted about 12:30 a.m. A blood alcohol test showed his alcohol level at the time to be .147. The female driver of the other vehicle was also interviewed. She said she was driving westbound on Route 9 with her boyfriend and her three children when she saw the other vehicle in her lane. She said she attempted to swerve around it but was unsuccessful.

Lewis was arrested the next day but because of delays in coming to trial, a federal grand jury last week indicted him again on the charges. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.

Man guilty of 2nd degree murder in death of woman

AZTEC, N.M. – A jury on Jan. 16 found Johnson Mud, of Farmington, guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Roselyn Dennison, according to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. Sentencing will take place on Feb. 4.

On Feb. 18, 2017, Mud called 911 to report that he cut his wife’s throat and she was barely breathing. Mud refused to render aid to her after the assault and followed the instructions from the dispatcher to go outside with his hands clear.

Deputies quickly arrived at the scene on CR 5466 and took the suspect into custody without incident. Dennison was pronounced dead at San Juan Regional Medical Center on Feb. 19, 2017, after fighting for her life in the ICU. Mud and Dennison were not married at the time of the murder.

“We hope that the family members of Roselyn Dennison can find peace during this difficult time and we are proud of the hard work that went into this case by our incredible team of investigators,” the sheriff’s news release states. “Thank you to the members of the jury, that ultimately declared a guilty verdict on this heinous crime.”

NM State Police seize 772 pounds of marijuana

GALLUP – On Jan. 15, the New Mexico State Police seized 391 pounds of marijuana out of a car hauler carrying two SUV’s at the Gallup port of entry, according to a police news release. The very next day, two men were arrested at the Gallup port of entry when State Police officers found 381 pounds of marijuana and 183 pounds of drug paraphernalia in a commercial motor vehicle.

While officers conducted a safety inspection on the vehicle they observed 14 large boxes and could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from the trailer. State Police officers found 299 bags of marijuana, cannabis vape oil and loaded dispensers. The driver Eaid Gheith, 26, of Justice, Illinois, and the co-driver, Cemil Durgut, 30, of Bridgeview, Illinois, were arrested and booked into the Gallup-McKinley County Detention Center. Gheith and Durgut were both charged with following:

• Attempt to commit felony; distribution of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoids (over 100 pounds), a third degree felony.

• Conspiracy to commit distribution of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoids (over 100 pounds), a fourth degree felony.

• Delivery or manufacture of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor.

Man found dead in Flagstaff cell

FLAGSTAFF – On Monday, at approximately 4:13 a.m., Coconino County Detention Facility officers conducting an inmate welfare check found 20-year old Kyle Martinson unresponsive in his cell, according to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.

Detention officers began lifesaving measures, including CPR, until paramedics arrived on scene and took over lifesaving efforts. Martinson was pronounced deceased at approximately 4:26 a.m. The cause of death is currently under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division and pending autopsy and review by the Coconino County Medical Examiner. Martinson was housed in a cell by himself.

At this time, the death does not appear to be a suicide and no foul play is suspected. Next of kin has been notified.

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