What Caused Pelotte's Injury? by Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola, Gallup Independent, July 30, 2007

What Caused Pelotte's Injury?
Catholic Bishop Insists He Wasn't 'Beat Up'

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Gallup Independent
July 30, 2007

http://www.gallupindependent.com/2007/july/073007ehb_pelottesinjury.html

Gallup — A Gallup Police report is raising new questions about how Bishop Donald E. Pelotte of Gallup was injured last week.

Most specifically, the report raises the question if Pelotte, 62, was really injured in a household fall.

According to Deacon Timoteo Lujan, Pelotte's assistant and the chancellor of the diocese, the severity of Pelotte's injuries caused the emergency room physician, a Gallup police officer, and Lujan himself to wonder if the 62-year-old bishop had possibly been a victim of a violent assault.

However, as both the police report and Lujan state, Pelotte has insisted that he was not assaulted by anyone and that his injuries are the result of a fall down a home staircase. Pelotte is currently in the intensive care unit at the John C. Lincoln Hospital in Phoenix.

Bishop Donald Pelotte of the Diocese of Gallup was found in his home on Monday, July 23, with serious head injuries. The police report filed indicated that Pelotte may have sustained the injuries from something other than a fall as previously reported.
Photo by Brian Leddy

The Independent obtained a copy of the police report on Friday. Lujan was contacted by telephone at his home on Sunday evening. In the most candid interview he has ever granted The Independent, Lujan talked about the events of the last week and addressed some of the rumors circulating the diocese.

Heavily bruised

Prior to discovering the injured bishop on Monday, July 23, Lujan said he last spoke with Pelotte on Saturday, July 21. Although in the police report Lujan is reported as saying Pelotte was "fine" and "not hurt" on Saturday, Lujan explained the bishop was not feeling well and had canceled a scheduled appearance. According to the Diocese of Gallup's Web site, Pelotte was scheduled to travel to St. Johns, Ariz., to celebrate the anniversary of the Franciscan Sisters' ministry.

On Sunday morning, a family member or friend reported talking with Pelotte on the phone, Lujan said. By Monday afternoon, however, Pelotte failed to show for a 2 p.m. appointment at work, causing a concerned Lujan to drive to Pelotte's private residence, a tri-level home on the west side of Gallup. Lujan let himself into the locked home and discovered blood on the tile floor at the bottom of a carpeted stairway which leads up to Pelotte's bedroom and study.

"I was very alarmed," he recalled. "I didn't know what to expect." Lujan said he unlocked the bishop's bedroom door and discovered a severely injured Pelotte.

The police report says Lujan found Pelotte "heavily bruised across the face, along the chest area, both arms, the knuckles, the legs, and the feet." Lujan suspected someone may have assaulted the bishop, but a conscious Pelotte told Lujan that that was not the case.

Pelotte also didn't want to go to the hospital, something Lujan attributes to Pelotte being in a confused state because of his injuries. Once Lujan finally got the bishop to Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital, he explained, the emergency room physician immediately suspected Pelotte was the victim of a violent assault.

"The doctor is the one who called the police at first," he said.

Police report

According to his report, Gallup Police Officer Edwin Yazzie was dispatched to the RMCH emergency room at 4:39 p.m. He apparently also suspected Pelotte had been battered by someone: "Bishop Pelotte said he had fallen and no one had hit him or beat him up," Yazzie stated in his report. "I asked Bishop Pelotte again if anybody else came to his residence, or if he had any arguments or any enemies that may have done this to him, and he said no. Bishop Pelotte again informed me that he had fallen. At this time, there was a lot of bruising to both the left and right eye. The right eye was swollen shut and there was bruising on the left shoulder area. Both arms, elbows, hands, and knuckle area were also heavily bruised. Mr. Pelotte's legs were also bruised and appeared to have been scratched in some areas."

Yazzie reports that another police officer arrived to take photos of Pelotte's injuries, and Lujan was then advised to inform the police if he had further information about what happened to Pelotte. Lujan said he offered to let the police inspect Pelotte's house, but they didn't choose to do so.

Sgt. Erin Toadlena-Pablo, a spokeswoman for the Gallup Police Department, said the incident is currently not under investigation because of Pelotte's insistence that a fall caused his injuries. With the exception of domestic violence cases, she explained, the police usually go along with the victim's statement about the nature of the incident. An investigation could be launched, she said, if new information indicated it was warranted

Doubts and questions

Lujan told The Independent he shares the doubts of those who don't understand how the bishop, who he said is suffering from traumatic brain injury, could be so severely injured by falling down "eight or nine" carpeted stairs. "There's been a lot of people that asked that," Lujan agreed. But he said the doctor speculated a fall could have been caused by a mini-aneurism or blackout.

Lujan was asked about a rumor that quickly circulated after news of Pelotte's injury was announced: could Pelotte's fall and injuries have been caused by intoxication? Lujan said he had no knowledge of Pelotte drinking prior to the incident. Lujan was then asked if there was evidence of alcohol use in the home when he discovered the injured bishop. "Not that I know of," he replied.

Some have also questioned why Pelotte reclimbed the stairs and locked himself in his bedroom after being injured. According to Lujan, Pelotte always locked his bedroom door because a number of diocese employees had keys to his house, and locking the door was a habit developed after years of living in shared quarters in a religious community.

Although Lujan admitted he has his own questions about what caused the bishop's injuries, he does know that the house was secure when he entered it. "Nothing is missing," he said. "I can tell you nobody broke in," he added.

And even though the bishop has insisted he was not assaulted, Lujan said a number of people have questioned that. "He looks like he got beat up," Lujan admitted.

The idea that someone might actually want to physically harm Pelotte is based in not-too-distant history. In 2004, the Gallup Diocese was thrust into the headlines when Derek Kolb, a former Catholic seminary student for the Archdiocese of Denver, admitted to Gallup Police that he had tried to poison an elderly Catholic sister in order to gain more attention from her caretaker, Father Thomas Maikowski. A year later, Kolb made headlines again when the diocese announced Kolb had threaten to kill Pelotte. Although attempted murder charges were initially filed in the first case, Kolb eventually signed a plea agreement to a charge of harassment. The second allegation just fizzled out with a string of probation revocation hearings.

"He was really anxious about Derek Kolb for a long time," said Lujan, adding that Pelotte received an apologetic card from Kolb a couple of months ago.

According to Albuquerque District Court records, a representative of an adult education program in Albuquerque filed for a restraining order against Kolb in May 2007 for "researching/ downloading and printing of pedophilia related articles" at the program. The case was dismissed a month later, apparently after both parties failed to appear in court.

Uncertain recovery

Lujan said he has been criticized by a number of people, particularly priests in the diocese, for not providing enough information about Pelotte's injury quickly enough. "Some people were critical about it," he said, "they were down right nasty about it."

Lujan said he understands their concerns, but he also said it was a "crisis situation" and that his immediate concern was to "get the bishop cared for." A week after discovering the injured Pelotte, Lujan said he feels the diocese is still somewhat in a crisis.

Father James E. Walker, the vicar general and a parish priest serving in Bloomfield, has assumed the administrative responsibilities for the diocese. The Consultors, a group of priests who act as consultants to the bishop, will meet with Walker today to develop an administrative plan for the diocese, Lujan said.

As for the bishop, Lujan said his medical condition was listed as stable as of Sunday evening.

Lujan said he does not know how long a recovery period Pelotte is facing. "I guess this is typical for brain injuries," Lujan said. "There's no way of telling."

Pelotte's twin brother, Father Dana Pelotte, is currently making the medical care decisions, Lujan said. Chancery officials will continue to communicate frequently with Dana Pelotte to inform the public about the bishop's recovery, he added, and those reports will be posted on the diocese's Web site.

Editor's Note: The Gallup Police report will be posted tonight on The Independent's Website:www.gallupindependent.com.

Reporter Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola can be contacted at (505) 863-6811 ext. 218 or ehardinburrola@yahoo.com.