Threat closes city's office
$1,413 utility bill sparks confrontation

By Zsombor Peter
Staff Writer

GALLUP — City Hall's utility billing office, where Gallup goes to pay and often complain about its overdue accounts, is no stranger to irate customers. But last Thursday's visit from Tony Mesich, which sent the office into lockdown, was something different.

It all started the previous Tuesday around 3:45 p.m. when Mesich called Marlene Custer, secretary to the mayor and city manager, demanding to meet with the mayor about his utility bill. Marlene, according to her own account of events, told Mesich the mayor was booked solid but would have time for him next week. Mesich reportedly accused Custer of lying, called her a "stupid b***h," and said he'd arrange for a police escort — a condition of a prior run-in with city officials — to bring him down. At that point, Custer hung up.

But Mesich soon called back and, according to the Gallup Police Department's incident report, told Custer that "if I have to, I will go down and kill somebody."

After ending that call, Custer got another from Mary Ann Livingston, a relative of Mesich's, worried that he might "do something" to himself or someone else. She then called the police and asked the department to keep an eye on City Hall.

So when Mesich showed up at 110 E. Aztec Ave. two days later, staff were warned and ready.

Acting City Clerk Alfred Abeita said he was finishing up with another customer around noon when he noticed Mesich walk in. As per the city safety officer's instructions, the staff asked everyone to leave, pulled down the metal blinders above the counter, locked down the office, and called the police. Mesich left with the rest of the crowd and without incident. Fifteen minutes later, the office was open again and back in business.

When officers caught up with Mesich along Second Street, he repeated his threat, saying "Yes, I am of capable of killing everybody."

They transported Mesich to the McKinley County Adult Detention Center where he was booked and charged with harassment. He posted the $3,000 bond and left the center Sunday.

Mesich still owes the city $1,413.16.

The lockdown was an unusual step for staff, said City Manager Eric Honeyfield. There have been occasions when individuals were banned from entering City Hall before, he said, "but never a time we felt people were in danger and we had to lock the doors."

Even so, the city has taken extra precautions to secure the building in recent years, eliminating all but one of its previous entrance routes.

As for Mesich, last week was not his first scrape with City Hall. He was escorted out of the building in July of 2005 for arguing with officials about the city's decision to confiscate and euthanize his pack of wolf hybrids, which had severely attacked a family interested in buying one of the pups the week before.