SCIENTISTS ADVANCE ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT, A5
Gallup Sun VOL 10 | ISSUE 489
www.gallupsun.com
August 9, 2024
SEEKING JUSTICE MAN WANTS SUSPECT WHO STABBED HIM WITH SCREWDRIVER TO GO TO JAIL By Molly Ann Howel Managing Editor
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year ago, Leonard Ross Jr. was simply going about his day, running errands, when the next thing he knew, he was waking up on the ground covered in blood. Now, he’s seeking justice against the man who allegedly stabbed him with a screwdriver. On Ju ly 31, 2023, Ross went out for what he thought would be a normal day of running er r a nd s a rou nd Ts e Bonito in his wife’s car. Around 5 pm, as he was nea r i ng t he O’Rei l ly Auto Parts at 1572 State Road 264, a man reportedly swerved his vehicle toward Ross’ and made an obscene gesture in his direction. After this interaction, Ross pulled into the O’Reilly parking lot, but the man followed him. Ross said he recognized the man as a fellow business owner. Ross owns a car detailing company, and the alleged suspect owns a tire company. Both businesses are on the Navajo Nation.
According to a Navajo Pol ice Depa r t ment report, the two men got out of their respective cars, and then suddenly, the suspect allegedly rushed at Ross with a screwdriver. Ross reportedly tried to defend himself by pushing the man’s shoulder, but the next thing he remembers is waking up on the ground covered in his own blood. Ross was allegedly knocked unconscious, and when he woke up a small group of people were surrounding him, telling him to “get out” of the area. “ I t h o u g h t I go t jumped by that whole group of people, so in fear for my life I just started running, staggering, trying to get away from the scene,” Ross said. “No one helped me. No one tried to see if I was OK or if I was even alive.” Ross sa id he wa s scared for his life in that moment, so he hopped into his wife’s car and drove back home. The NPD was the law enforcement agency that responded to the scene. They reported that there
It may not look like much three days after the incident, but Leonard Ross Jr. was attacked with a screwdriver on July 31, 2023. The assailant reportedly targeted Ross’ left eye. Besides the scratch, Ross also suffered a skull fracture along his cheekbone, which is what the bump in the photo is. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Leonard Ross Jr.
Leonard Ross Jr. was the victim of an attack at the O’Reilly Auto Parts in Tse Bonito on July 31, 2023. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Leonard Ross Jr. was a surveillance video of the alleged attack, but the Sun was unable to attain the video before press time. However, according to the police report, the suspect hit Ross hard enough in the temple for him to pass out. The suspect then repeatedly struck Ross’ face, focusing mostly in the area near his left eye. On Aug. 2, 2023, Ross went to a hospital in
Ross was reportedly followed into the O’Reilly Auto Parts parking lot at 1572 State Road 264 on July 31, . Photo Credit: Kim Helfenbein
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3 bed/2 bath Helping drunk drivers get back $1850 on their feet Contact Berlinda (505) 488-2344
COMPLIANCE COURT OFFERS SUPPORT berlinda@gallupliving.com
309 E.provide Nizhoni Blvd them,” Griego said.
By Molly Ann Howell Managing Editor
"If they don’t have stable
Gallup NM 87301 housing or stable transpor-
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ccording to the New Mexico D e p a r t me nt of Transportation, 162 alcohol-related car crashes occurred in McKinley County in 2022. In an effort to stop people from drinking and driving, Gallup Municipal Court Judge Janell Griego runs a program called Compliance Court. The program is for people who have been convicted of their first, second, or third DWI. Gr iego meets with those people, whom she calls her "participants," on the third Thursday of every month at 1:30 pm in her courtroom. The program is a part of the court’s probation system, and anyone put on probation for a DWI is required to participate. Griego started the program in May 2023. It gives the participants a chance to talk to Griego
tation or money coming in,
Gallup Living Rentals they’re not going to be successful in probation and
Indian Hills Area potentially they’re going
to reoffend, which doesn’t
3 bed/2 bath do them any good and it doesn’t do our community any good." Right now, 76 individuals participate in the program, and Griego said it also gives them a chance to connect with one another. Some of them are each other’s sobriety support systems and they help each other navigate the court system. Griego also uses the time to provide the individuals with information about the health risks of alcohol abuse. Ga l lup Mu n icipa l Court Administrator Erin Gutierrez said the program is still fairly new, and they’re constantly adding more elements to it, so she wasn’t able to provide an exact amount when asked how much the program costs the city.
$1850
Contact Berlinda (505) 488-2344 berlinda@gallupliving.com Gallup Municipal Court Judge Janell Griego in a more informal setting — she doesn’t even wear her robes during the meetings. Participants take the time to discuss any issues they may be having, or tell Griego how they’re doing with their sobriety. “If they’re doing well, it’s an opportunity for us to give them praise and if they’re not doing well it’s an opportunity for us to catch [the problem] before it gets to the point of violation,” Griego said. “If they violate
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their probation, essentially what is happening is the city is asking me to place them back in jail and have them serve out the remainder of their sentence.” Griego said the participants bring a variety of problems to her, from housing insecurity to unemployment and substance abuse problems. She and her staff try to help in any way they can. “We just try to be wellrounded with what we
Fort Defiance, Arizona, where a doctor told him that he’d been stabbed in the face 10 times with the screwdriver. According to a medical report, his left zygomatic arch bone, which is the cheekbone, was fractured and chipped. A plastic surgeon
located i n F lagst a f f, Arizona, told Ross that he may need surger y on his skull if the fragmented pieces don’t fuse back to his skull on their own. Now, Ross visits the doctor every 60 days to get MRIs and x-rays done of his skull to make sure there aren’t any changes to his health. According to the medical report, the suspect allegedly brushed Ross’ eyeball twice during the attack, but the screwdriver never punctured his eye. The area around his eye was red for 30 days after the attack. “ T h a n k G od t he weapon didn’t pierce my eye or pierce my skull, otherwise I wouldn’t be here right now,” he said. Ross said he truly believes the man was trying to kill him. “Every stab wound was intentional, trying to kill me,” he said. “It was an attempt to kill me. He didn’t just do it once, he didn’t do it twice, he
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