Former Velarde Acting Chief Indicted on Weapons Charges

Posted by: Curt Varone May 8, 2013 0

The former acting fire chief from Velarde, New Mexico has been indicted on seven felony counts associated with his brandishing a firearm at a fire company meeting last August.

Darwin Yazzie, 28, has been charged with five felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and two felony counts of child abuse. The child abuse charges appear to relate to the fact that children were present when the behavior took place.

Yazzie faces the possibility of 13 years in prison.

More on the story. Note: the news outlets inaccurately state the incident occurred in August 2011… it was last August, 2012.

BTW – There are somewhere around 32,000 fire departments of various sizes in the United States. Fire Law Blog regularly features cases from large departments like FDNY, DCFD, or LAFD, which is to be expected. However, this headline represents the SEVENTH time that the Velarde Fire Department has been featured in a law related story. Here are the listings.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
© Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved. | FireLawBlog.com & Curt Varone | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
x

Check Also

KCMO Challenges Arbitration Award in Triple Fatal Crash

The City of Kansas City is appealing an arbitration decision that reduced the disciplinary penalty for the firefighter responsible for the 2021 triple-fatal apparatus crash to a three-day suspension without pay. Dominic Biscari was driving Kansas City’s Pumper 19, when it ran a red light, collided with an SUV, struck several parked cars, came to rest in a building, and in the process killed three people.

NJ Court Upholds Officers Being in Same Bargaining Unit as Firefighters

The Appellate Division of New Jersey Superior Court has upheld a ruling of the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission concluding that lieutenants can be included with firefighters in a collective bargaining unit. The case involved a challenge brought by the Borough of Carteret seeking to separate lieutenants from the rank-and-file firefighters.