Shiprock Man Arrested After Threats at Animas Valley Mall

San Juan County law enforcement detained 24 year old Daitheus Keeswood following two incidents at the Animas Valley Mall food court that left shoppers shaken. According to the probable cause statement, Keeswood approached a Farmington woman and her daughter and told the woman, "I’m gonna rob you" and "I’m gonna stab you." He is also alleged to have brandished a weapon and told a bystander, "give me all your money or I’m gonna stab you."

Officers arrested Keeswood on December 20 and reported finding a metal object in his pocket that had been filed to a sharp point. Police said he appeared intoxicated at the scene and was initially belligerent. He was booked into the San Juan County Detention Center and later released on December 22. A preliminary court hearing was scheduled for December 31.

The incidents on mall property, a central gathering place for people across San Juan County and neighboring communities, prompted concern among merchants and patrons about safety in communal spaces during the busy holiday period. Mall patrons at the food court are often families and multigenerational groups, and the presence of an alleged weapon heightened fears that a verbal threat could quickly escalate into physical harm.

Local law enforcement has emphasized that the case will proceed through the county court system and that charges will be decided in court. The situation also touches on broader community relations, since Keeswood is from Shiprock, a community on the Navajo Nation, and the alleged victims included a woman and child from Farmington. Community leaders and public safety officials face the task of addressing immediate concerns about patrol presence and deescalation resources while ensuring that the legal process and due process protections are respected.

For residents, the episode is a reminder to remain vigilant in crowded places and to report threatening behavior to authorities. The preliminary hearing at the end of the month will provide more details as the county pursues the matter through the judicial process.