Tuesday, Jan. 16
11:59 p.m.: A man was arrested in the 400 block of West Seventh Street on suspicion of violating a protection order, disorderly conduct and obstruction after police responded to a report that he had entered a woman’s driveway and started yelling, shaking her fence and throwing his personal belongings on the ground, and that he was refusing to leave. The man reportedly tried to run away from police, but was quickly caught. He also reportedly slammed his head against a patrol car during the arrest, and an officer tackled him to the ground, where he reportedly slid his face across the gravel. He was medically cleared at Southwest Memorial Hospital due to facial injuries he suffered during this process and due to severe intoxication. He reportedly yelled and kicked at medical personnel while he was in the emergency room, and had to be placed in leg restraints and carried to the patrol car during his transportation to the jail.
Wednesday, Jan. 17
2:33 a.m.: A man was arrested outside Walmart, 1835 E. Main St., on a La Plata County warrant and on suspicion of violating a protection order after his father requested a welfare check on him. When officers contacted him outside the store, he reportedly had an open bottle of vodka and a bottle of urine in the vehicle with him.
8:41 a.m.: Police responded to a report of criminal mischief in the 400 block of West Seventh Street. A woman reported someone had broken a window in her house between 11:30 p.m. and 8 a.m. , causing about $200 in damage. Two other broken windows were reported in the area, one in the 300 block of Elm Street and one in the 700 block of South Cedar Street, The owner of both properties estimated the windows would cost about $450 each to replace. Responding officers reported they believed the crimes were connected. The case remains under investigation.
9:02 a.m.: Police observed graffiti in the bathrooms at City Park, 20 N. Park St., and the gazebo in Centennial Park. The word “risk” had been spray-painted on both walls in red, causing an estimated $800 in total damage. The case remains under investigation.
3:42 p.m.: Police responded to a report of a broken window at Western Insurance Group, 23 S. Market St. Security video showed a man throwing a rock through the window about 8:25 p.m. the previous day, but the footage was blurred. The case remains under investigation.
6:03 p.m.: A man was arrested in the 300 block of North Edith Street on a warrant for failure to appear on a felony case.
8:35 p.m.: Police responded to a report of a missing person last seen at Cortez Middle School, 450 W. Second St. A woman claimed her daughter had not come home from school that day. She reportedly told officers her daughter could be hanging out with a friend, but later in the evening the friend’s granddaughter reported her missing as well. The following morning, the first girl’s mother told police the girls had spent the night at a relative’s house without telling anyone, but were now safe at school.
10:16 p.m.: A man was arrested on suspicion of child abuse and violating a protection order in the 400 block of South Ash Street after police responded to a report of a child stuck on the roof of an apartment building. Volunteers with the Cortez Fire Protection District rescued the child from the roof, but responding officers were unable to find an adult in the area, and no one answered their knocks on the door of the house. They reportedly entered the house through a window and found a 1-year-old child asleep near the front door, and the suspect asleep with two cans of beer nearby, although a breath test did not find evidence of intoxication. The 1-year-old reportedly had several marks on her body in various stages of healing that responding officers and medical personnel said were suspicious. She was transported to Southwest Memorial Hospital for treatment, and the older child was picked up by the suspect’s sister-in-law. The suspect’s wife, who was out of town at the time, reportedly said the older child was always trying to get her and her husband in trouble, and told officers she planned to take her children home.
Thursday, Jan. 18
11:07 a.m.: A woman was arrested in the 900 block of South Cedar Street on a warrant for failure to appear on a local misdemeanor charge after police responded to a neighbor’s complaint that she had left clothes all over her front yard.
12:48 p.m.: A man was arrested at Montezuma County Combined Courts, 865 N. Park St., on a warrant for failure to appear on a local misdemeanor.
Friday, Jan. 19
2:08 a.m.: A man was arrested in the 2200 block of East Main Street on suspicion of DUI, careless driving and underage possession of marijuana after a witness claimed he had driven through a field. The man reportedly said he had fallen asleep at the wheel on his way back from Fort Lewis College in Durango. He reportedly did not appear sober, and a container of marijuana and a grinder were found in his pockets. A partially burned blunt was reportedly in plain sight in the vehicle, along with four packages of marijuana and another grinder.
9:55 a.m.: Police responded to a report of a disturbance at the Cortez Recreation Center, 425 N. Roger Smith Ave. A man had filed a report of an alleged fight between his daughter, her half-sister and another girl, for use in child custody hearings. After reviewing the report, responding officers decided the incident appeared to be a mutual fight and took no immediate action.
2:05 p.m.: A man was arrested outside City Market, 508 E. Main St., after a witness reported he had almost hit them on the road.
5:23 p.m.: A man was issued a summons in the 400 block of West Third Street on suspicion of keeping a vicious animal and a dog at large violation after a neighbor claimed his dogs had gotten into his yard and one of them had bitten his leg when he tried to chase them away. The dog that allegedly bit the man was impounded and taken to the Cortez Animal Shelter.
7:38 p.m.: A man was arrested at EconoLodge, 2020 E. Main St., on suspicion of domestic violence, harassment and criminal violation of a protection order after police responded to a report that he had tried to punch his wife and had kicked the door of their motel room, damaging it. He reportedly ran away from the motel with a box of diapers after an employee called police, but responding officers found him behind the building, unconscious on the ground. He was medically cleared at Southwest Memorial Hospital due to severe intoxication. Motel staff did not press charges for the damaged door. The man’s wife was also arrested on two warrants for failure to appear on local misdemeanor charges.
Saturday, Jan. 20
10:03 a.m.: A man was arrested at Jiffy Lube, 720 S. Broadway, on a municipal warrant for failure to appear.
12:44 p.m.: A man was arrested in the 700 block of Birch Drive on a warrant for failure to appear on a local misdemeanor charge after an officer observed him waving his arms and chanting in the road.
1:44 p.m.: A man was arrested outside Walmart, 1835 E. Main St., on a Dolores County warrant for failure to appear on a misdemeanor charge after police responded to a report that he had been in a fight. He was medically cleared at Southwest Memorial Hospital due to severe intoxication.
7:08 p.m.: A man was arrested in the 100 block of North Ash Street on suspicion of being intoxicated in the roadway after a driver reported he had almost hit the man because he was lying down in the road. He was medically cleared at Southwest Memorial Hospital due to intoxication.
9:48 p.m.: A man and a woman were arrested on suspicion of shoplifting at Walmart, 1835 E. Main St. The stolen items reportedly included a TV and several tools, valued at $403.60 total. The woman was also arrested on two warrants, one from Montezuma County for failure to appear on a felony charge, and one from La Plata County for failure to comply.
10:22 p.m.: A man was issued a summons in the 1000 block of East Main Street on suspicion of DUI, DUI per se, careless driving and violating the restrictions on a temporary permit after he was pulled over for speeding and because his vehicle reportedly looked like one used by a recent shoplifting suspect. Officers confirmed he was not the suspect in the shoplifting case.
The Journal