Death mars Grants holiday

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — An unattended death and two major arrests in Grants marred what was otherwise a safe and uneventful Fourth of July in Grants, Milan and Cibola County.

Grants Police Lt. Corey Allen said a woman died about 11:35 a.m., Wednesday in the 800 block of Wyoming Avenue. Her name is not being released pending notification of next of kin.

The landlord came home and found her on the floor, he then put her in her bed, Allen said.

A syringe and a spoon, indicative of heroin use, were found on the floor, he said.

Later that night, about 9:45 p.m., officers recovered a stolen vehicle from Albuquerque.

The driver of the car, a 1999 Buick Park Avenue, waited an extremely long time for an officer to turn at an intersection, then drive past him, drove abruptly off the road and put on the hazard lights, Allen said.

"When the officer saw no light on the license plate he ran the plate and the car came back stolen," Allen said.

Arrested was 43-year-old Douglas Eberhardt, of Albuquerque. He is charged in connection with possession of a stolen vehicle.

The other major incident of the night resulted in an arrest of Augustine Chavez, 39, of Gabaldon Hill.

Officers responded to a call that Chavez was pounding and trying to beat down the door of a neighbor, then yelling and cussing at another, Allen said.

Chavez was intoxicated and when officers found him hiding in his house and tried to arrest him, he attacked them kicking and biting an officer, Allen said.

Chavez is charged in connection with battery on a police officer, assault on a police officer, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Otherwise, it was uneventful in Milan and the unincorporated areas of Cibola County, except for five arrests by New Mexico State Police in conjunction with DWI.

Quiet in Milan
Milan Police Chief Jerry Stephens said no arrests were made during the day or at the fireworks event at Kearns Park Wednesday night.

"We had probably 1,000 people in the park," he said. Hundreds of cars and other vehicles were parked around the park and on area roads, State Route 605 and County Road 122, to watch the fireworks display that started about 9 p.m.

"It took us 30 minutes to clear traffic," he said.

Stephens also said there were more cars at last year's event, but was not able to estimate how many.

Lt. Harry Hall, Cibola County Sheriff's Department said he received no reports Thursday morning about any incidents or arrests.

"It was quiet," in the county, he said.