Alcohol-Fueled Fight Goes from Fists to Stabbing
By John Earp
(The following account is adapted from the Incident Report obtained from the Jal Police Department). On Saturday, June 07, 2025, at approximately 6:05 p.m., Jal Police Officer J. Cortez and Officer J. Carpenter were dispatched to a stabbing at 204 N. 4th St. Upon arrival, contact was made with Denis Belteton (DOB 03/03/1990), who seemed to the officer to be in distress. Belteton stated he had just been attacked with a knife, pointing at Santos Vargas (DOB: 02/25/1977). Officers checked Santos’ person and did not locate a knife but Santos was observed to be wearing a pocket knife holder on his right hip. Belteton stated he had to run away from Santos due to his pulling out a knife and pointing it at him, pointing north on 4th St. Belteton stated that he had to run away due to Santos chasing him with the knife. When asked what was the reason for the argument and/or why Santos would be trying to attack him, Belteton stated it started from an argument while they were drinking and comments about who lived where.
Contact was then made with Santos, who was noticed to have a cut on the right side of his lower lip. When asked by Officer Cortez what had happened, Santos stated it was Belteton who had hit him and pointed in the direction of Denis. When asked what had happened, Santos stated they were all together drinking. Santos stated while drinking Denis [Belteton] made a comment regarding where he was from. Officers noted that both parties gave a similar statement, but just flipped the order of events that had transpired. Santos stated Denis began making rude comments about where he was born and raised. Santos’s side is that they began to argue and when Santos stood up they both made their way to the street before fighting with fists. Santos stated Denis swung first at him before Santos began fighting back and hitting him in the chest area. Santos stated that after being punched he pulled a knife, saying “con los de Zacatecas no te metas” which translates to “don’t mess with Zacatecas.”
Denis’s stated that when they were drinking Santos began making rude comments about where he was from and had lived. (Incident Report notes that Denis Belteton’s ethnicity is “Alaska Native/Native American.”) After making their way to the street and beginning to fight, Denis stated Santos swung first, hitting him in his body multiple times. Denis stated that he hit Santos in the face causing him to start bleeding that’s when Santos pulled out a knife from his right side and pointed at him saying things. Denis stated at this point he walked back while Santos told him things that made Denis fear for his life and run away before officers arrived on the scene. While officers spoke with Denis, he was observed to have spit up blood which he stated happened after he was punched by Santos.
There was an eyewitness who lives at the above residence (204 N 4th) who was later identified as Alejandro Cordova (DOB: 01/26/ 1958), who gave a statement saying that they both were arguing and they decided at some point to go to the middle of the street and fight. Alejandro stated he did not know who swung first but did observe Denis punched Santos and Santos pulled out a knife on Denis after being punched. Alejandro is unable to state what was said between the two after that but stated that’s when officers arrived.
Santos was checked by EMS and refused any treatment. Santos was then placed into handcuffs that were double locked and checked for tightness. Santos was then escorted to Cortez’s marked patrol unit, where a search incident to arrest was conducted with negative results for contraband. After Santos was read his Miranda warrant verbatim, he did agree to talk and stated the knife was inside the above residence on the table. Officers were able to locate the knife based on Santos’s words and will be placed in evidence. Officers canvassed the area and did not locate any camera footage regarding this incident.
Santos was arrested, charged with aggravated assault and transported to the Lea County Detention Center.