Man jailed on no-bond hold accused of threatening gas station customer with knife in Aztec

• Deion Smith, 27, is accused of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and shoplifting.
• John Beckstead, Smith’s attorney, did not respond to a request for comment.
• Chief District Court Judge Karen Townsend ordered Smith be held without bond as he awaits trial in the county jail.

FARMINGTON — An Aztec man accused of pulling a knife on a gas station customer after allegedly trying to shoplift an alcoholic beverage is being held without bond in the county jail.

Deion Smith, 27, is accused of a fourth-degree felony count of aggravated assault, a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest and a petty misdemeanor count of shoplifting, according to court records.

John Beckstead, Smith’s attorney, did not respond to a request for comment.

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The Aztec Police Department was dispatched around 8:16 p.m. on the night of Jan. 3 to the gas station at 416 Main Ave. in Aztec on reports of an armed subject.

An officer interviewed the male customer and a female employee about the incident. According to a court document the customer told police he was trying to buy a lottery ticket when Smith took a bottle of alcohol. He said Smith said he was going to pay for it, then tried to run out the store.

The customer said he stopped Smith and they had a physical altercation, knocking a sales display onto the ground.

A second customer tried to intervene, but the male customer explained what happened as Smith got up, a court document stated. The alcoholic beverage was taken away from Smith by the employee. Smith then allegedly threatened to kill the male customer, pulling out the knife and showing it to the man.

The document states that Smith then ran out of the store and threw the knife into a trash can. The knife was later recovered as evidence.

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An officer found Smith near Fairgrounds Road and North Mesa Verde Avenue. Smith is accused of resisting arrest. He was taken into custody after a second officer showed up.

The San Juan County District Attorney’s Office filed a motion to hold Smith at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center until his trial.

Chief District Court Judge Karen Townsend ruled in favor of the prosecution’s motion during a Jan. 12 hearing in Aztec District Court.

Smith waived his preliminary hearing on Jan. 14. His arraignment in Aztec District Court is set for the morning of Feb. 8. 

Joshua Kellogg covers breaking news for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.

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