What caused Pelotte's injury?
Catholic bishop insists he wasn't 'beat up'
Bishop Donald Pelotte of the Diocese of Gallup was found in his
home on Monday, July 23, with serious head injuries. The police
report filed indicated that Pelotte may have sustained the injuries
from something other than a fall as previously reported. [Photo
by Brian Leddy/Independent]
By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff Writer
The Gallup Police report:
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GALLUP A Gallup Police report is raising new questions about
how Bishop Donald E. Pelotte of Gallup was injured last week.
Most specifically, the report raises the question if Pelotte, 62,
was really injured in a household fall.
According to Deacon Timoteo Lujan, Pelotte's assistant and the chancellor
of the diocese, the severity of Pelotte's injuries caused the emergency
room physician, a Gallup police officer, and Lujan himself to wonder
if the 62-year-old bishop had possibly been a victim of a violent
assault.
However, as both the police report and Lujan state, Pelotte has
insisted that he was not assaulted by anyone and that his injuries
are the result of a fall down a home staircase. Pelotte is currently
in the intensive care unit at the John C. Lincoln Hospital in Phoenix.
The Independent obtained a copy of the police report on Friday.
Lujan was contacted by telephone at his home on Sunday evening.
In the most candid interview he has ever granted The Independent,
Lujan talked about the events of the last week and addressed some
of the rumors circulating the diocese.
Heavily bruised
Prior to discovering the injured bishop on Monday, July 23, Lujan
said he last spoke with Pelotte on Saturday, July 21. Although in
the police report Lujan is reported as saying Pelotte was "fine"
and "not hurt" on Saturday, Lujan explained the bishop
was not feeling well and had canceled a scheduled appearance. According
to the Diocese of Gallup's Web site, Pelotte was scheduled to travel
to St. Johns, Ariz., to celebrate the anniversary of the Franciscan
Sisters' ministry.
On Sunday morning, a family member or friend reported talking with
Pelotte on the phone, Lujan said. By Monday afternoon, however,
Pelotte failed to show for a 2 p.m. appointment at work, causing
a concerned Lujan to drive to Pelotte's private residence, a tri-level
home on the west side of Gallup. Lujan let himself into the locked
home and discovered blood on the tile floor at the bottom of a carpeted
stairway which leads up to Pelotte's bedroom and study.
"I was very alarmed," he recalled. "I didn't know
what to expect." Lujan said he unlocked the bishop's bedroom
door and discovered a severely injured Pelotte.
The police report says Lujan found Pelotte "heavily bruised
across the face, along the chest area, both arms, the knuckles,
the legs, and the feet." Lujan suspected someone may have assaulted
the bishop, but a conscious Pelotte told Lujan that that was not
the case.
Pelotte also didn't want to go to the hospital, something Lujan
attributes to Pelotte being in a confused state because of his injuries.
Once Lujan finally got the bishop to Rehoboth McKinley Christian
Hospital, he explained, the emergency room physician immediately
suspected Pelotte was the victim of a violent assault.
"The doctor is the one who called the police at first,"
he said.
Police report
According to his report, Gallup Police Officer Edwin Yazzie was
dispatched to the RMCH emergency room at 4:39 p.m. He apparently
also suspected Pelotte had been battered by someone: "Bishop
Pelotte said he had fallen and no one had hit him or beat him up,"
Yazzie stated in his report. "I asked Bishop Pelotte again
if anybody else came to his residence, or if he had any arguments
or any enemies that may have done this to him, and he said no. Bishop
Pelotte again informed me that he had fallen. At this time, there
was a lot of bruising to both the left and right eye. The right
eye was swollen shut and there was bruising on the left shoulder
area. Both arms, elbows, hands, and knuckle area were also heavily
bruised. Mr. Pelotte's legs were also bruised and appeared to have
been scratched in some areas."
Yazzie reports that another police officer arrived to take photos
of Pelotte's injuries, and Lujan was then advised to inform the
police if he had further information about what happened to Pelotte.
Lujan said he offered to let the police inspect Pelotte's house,
but they didn't choose to do so.
Sgt. Erin Toadlena-Pablo, a spokeswoman for the Gallup Police Department,
said the incident is currently not under investigation because of
Pelotte's insistence that a fall caused his injuries. With the exception
of domestic violence cases, she explained, the police usually go
along with the victim's statement about the nature of the incident.
An investigation could be launched, she said, if new information
indicated it was warranted
Doubts and questions
Lujan told The Independent he shares the doubts of those who don't
understand how the bishop, who he said is suffering from traumatic
brain injury, could be so severely injured by falling down "eight
or nine" carpeted stairs. "There's been a lot of people
that asked that," Lujan agreed. But he said the doctor speculated
a fall could have been caused by a mini-aneurism or blackout.
Lujan was asked about a rumor that quickly circulated after news
of Pelotte's injury was announced: could Pelotte's fall and injuries
have been caused by intoxication? Lujan said he had no knowledge
of Pelotte drinking prior to the incident. Lujan was then asked
if there was evidence of alcohol use in the home when he discovered
the injured bishop. "Not that I know of," he replied.
Some have also questioned why Pelotte reclimbed the stairs and locked
himself in his bedroom after being injured. According to Lujan,
Pelotte always locked his bedroom door because a number of diocese
employees had keys to his house, and locking the door was a habit
developed after years of living in shared quarters in a religious
community.
Although Lujan admitted he has his own questions about what caused
the bishop's injuries, he does know that the house was secure when
he entered it. "Nothing is missing," he said. "I
can tell you nobody broke in," he added.
And even though the bishop has insisted he was not assaulted, Lujan
said a number of people have questioned that. "He looks like
he got beat up," Lujan admitted.
The idea that someone might actually want to physically harm Pelotte
is based in not-too-distant history. In 2004, the Gallup Diocese
was thrust into the headlines when Derek Kolb, a former Catholic
seminary student for the Archdiocese of Denver, admitted to Gallup
Police that he had tried to poison an elderly Catholic sister in
order to gain more attention from her caretaker, Father Thomas Maikowski.
A year later, Kolb made headlines again when the diocese announced
Kolb had threaten to kill Pelotte. Although attempted murder charges
were initially filed in the first case, Kolb eventually signed a
plea agreement to a charge of harassment. The second allegation
just fizzled out with a string of probation revocation hearings.
"He was really anxious about Derek Kolb for a long time,"
said Lujan, adding that Pelotte received an apologetic card from
Kolb a couple of months ago.
According to Albuquerque District Court records, a representative
of an adult education program in Albuquerque filed for a restraining
order against Kolb in May 2007 for "researching/ downloading
and printing of pedophilia related articles" at the program.
The case was dismissed a month later, apparently after both parties
failed to appear in court.
Uncertain recovery
Lujan said he has been criticized by a number of people, particularly
priests in the diocese, for not providing enough information about
Pelotte's injury quickly enough. "Some people were critical
about it," he said, "they were down right nasty about
it."
Lujan said he understands their concerns, but he also said it was
a "crisis situation" and that his immediate concern was
to "get the bishop cared for." A week after discovering
the injured Pelotte, Lujan said he feels the diocese is still somewhat
in a crisis.
Father James E. Walker, the vicar general and a parish priest serving
in Bloomfield, has assumed the administrative responsibilities for
the diocese. The Consultors, a group of priests who act as consultants
to the bishop, will meet with Walker today to develop an administrative
plan for the diocese, Lujan said.
As for the bishop, Lujan said his medical condition was listed as
stable as of Sunday evening.
Lujan said he does not know how long a recovery period Pelotte is
facing. "I guess this is typical for brain injuries,"
Lujan said. "There's no way of telling."
Pelotte's twin brother, Father Dana Pelotte, is currently making
the medical care decisions, Lujan said. Chancery officials will
continue to communicate frequently with Dana Pelotte to inform the
public about the bishop's recovery, he added, and those reports
will be posted on the diocese's Web site.
Editor's Note: The Gallup Police report will be posted tonight on
The Independent's Website:www.gallupindependent.com.
Reporter Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola can be contacted at (505) 863-6811
ext. 218 or ehardinburrola@yahoo.com.
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July 30, 2007
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