Gallup man arrested after knife threat during Hobby Lobby theft attempt
A knife threat at Hobby Lobby and a separate meth-related arrest put Gallup’s retail corridor back in the spotlight, with police making arrests after both calls.
A Gallup man was arrested after he pulled a knife during a theft attempt at Hobby Lobby on West Maloney Avenue, and a separate warrant stop days earlier led officers to suspected methamphetamine in a vehicle tied to a wanted person. The two arrests, both listed in Gallup’s June 26 police roundup, unfolded from Hobby Lobby at 1300 W. Maloney Ave. to the Marshalls, Safeway and Heritage Speedway corridor.
Gallup Police Officer Kyle Delgai responded to Hobby Lobby on June 11 after a store employee reported that a man threatened a manager with a knife while trying to steal candy. Police identified the man as Andrew Damon, 39. Damon had been seen moving through the aisles and putting items in his pockets before the assistant manager confronted him. Damon then allegedly pulled a knife, and the manager used a small piece of furniture as a shield as Damon left the store without injuring anyone.
A security guard detained Damon outside Pizza 9. Damon had three packets of Pop Rocks, some pens and three knives in his pockets, and he had a prior criminal trespass notice. He was arrested for aggravated burglary and aggravated assault. Damon was scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Gallup Magistrate Court on June 24.
The other arrest came on June 5, when Gallup police narcotics agents and McKinley County Sheriff’s deputies, working with the FBI Federal Violent Crimes Task Force, spotted a vehicle tied to a wanted person. The driver, Preston John, 31, was first seen in the Marshalls parking lot and later at Safeway and Heritage Speedway. During a pat down, officers found lighters, a plastic pen tube and folded aluminum foil in his pocket. After first denying it, John told officers he might have methamphetamine in the foil.
The department has 60 commissioned officers, 10 public service officers and 6 civilian employees. Chief Erin Toadlena-Pablo and Deputy Chief Billy Padavich oversee a patrol division that works day shifts from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and graveyard shifts from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. across the city’s retail areas.
For records tied to arrests, crash reports and incident reports, the police records division is at 451 S. Boardman Drive in Gallup.
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