Man commits robbery and flees

Pilot store manager Roberto Lara

After the incident, Winslow Police officers, as well as Department of Public Safety officers and Navajo County Sheriff’s deputies were looking for the men. WPD officers located the two suspects, but they had already crossed onto Navajo Reservation land.

The officers were able to question the men in the presence of the Dilcon Police Department. The Dilcon Police Department refused to let WPD officers cite or arrest these men.

Roberto Lara, manager of Pilot Truck Stop, is frustrated with the fact the Dilcon Police Department would not let the Winslow Police Department do their job by arresting the suspect. He wrote a letter to Lt. Wauneka of the Dilcon Police Department expressing his frustration.

In the letter, he informs the lieutenant “[his] police department was uncooperative in dealing with these criminals and refused to arrest or allow the Winslow Police Department to arrest them. There is no question of the guilt of these individuals and yet your department protected them by hiding them out in the reservation. In effect assisted these criminals with their escape from justice. And for this, shame on you and on the police department under your command.”

Lara goes on to state he believes the reservation laws “were not designed to hide out or protect known criminals. It is my opinion by actions, or lack of actions by the Dilcon Police Department, it has made a mockery of this law enforcing agency as these criminals with impunity break laws as long as they can escape to your jurisdiction, they know they have escaped the real law.”

Both the Dilcon Police Department and the Winslow Police Department were contacted for comment, but declined to do so because the case is still under investigation.

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