Additional arrest warrants have been issued for three people in connection with a crime spree last month in Durango.
The Durango Police Department said the crime spree started about 7 p.m. June 23 and ended around 9 a.m. the next day. Authorities have identified at least 22 victims.
Just hours after the incident, the Gallup Police Department located a stolen 2019 Ford F-150 from Durango in the parking lot of a Gallup motel, where police arrested a 26-year-old man identified as Dmar Elleby of Gallup, New Mexico.
At the time, the Durango Police Department issued an arrest warrant for Elleby on charges of burglary, aggravated motor vehicle theft and several counts of trespassing.
Elleby remains in custody in Gallup on separate charges there; it is unknown when he will be extradited to Durango to face charges in connection with the crime spree said Cmdr. Jacob Dunlop.
Recently, the Durango Police Department issued three similar arrest warrants for people suspected of taking part in the Durango crime spree.
They were identified as Edward Begay, 32,and Gregory Benner, 27, both of Gallup, and Joseph Dyson, 31, of Yah-Ta-Hey, New Mexico, about 8 miles north of Gallup.
Dunlop said Begay and Elleby remain in custody, and Durango police are working on their extradition. Benner and Dyson, however, were released on $25,000 bail.
“They (Gallup police) released some of them, despite our national warrants,” said Dunlop, adding he was unsure of the exact timing between when the men were released and when the arrest warrants were signed. “So now we’re relying on other police jurisdictions to take them into custody and help with their extradition.”
Calls to the Gallup Police Department were not immediately returned Friday afternoon.
Dunlop said investigators are tying together items stolen in Durango and recovered in Gallup.
He encouraged people who may have had items go missing about the time of the crime spree to report it to police. Someone who had items stolen from a vehicle in Twin Buttes, for instance, only reported it to police after news accounts of the spree. It turned out the items were found in Gallup.
“We’d like to continue to encourage anyone who may have had items stolen out of a vehicle or home ... to make a report, no matter how trivial the theft might seem,” he said. “It just helps us get better understanding of the scope.”
It’s believed the suspects hit several areas around town, including Metz Lane, Artisan Court, the 1200 block of Florida Road, Woodland Circle, Allen Road, Hillside Avenue and the 400 block of South Camino del Rio.
Stolen items included four guns, a 2004 Honda motorcycle, a portable PA system with speakers and other miscellaneous items, such as tools, wallets and headphones.
The thieves also made off with a Glock handgun, a Taser, body armor and a badge belonging to a La Plata County Sheriff’s Office deputy. The handgun, it was previously reported, was privately owned.
Of the four guns stolen, only a rifle taken from a garage in Durango has been recovered, Dunlop said.
Potential victims can call nonemergency dispatch at 385-2900 or Sgt. Kathleen O’Toole at 375-4734.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
