Curfew set by Ute Mountain Ute Tribe - in a separate move White Mesa Travel Center remains open with reduced hours

by David Boyle
News Director
Hours at the White Mesa Travel Center have been reduced under direction of tribal leadership.
The travel center remains open to the public; however hours have been reduced from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm with doors remaining locked for employee safety.
In a separate move, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council enacted a resolution placing a curfew for both White Mesa and Towaoc communities.
The tribal council voted on January 2 to put the curfew in place, which remains until the council votes to end it.
The resolution states the reason for the curfew is due to ongoing violence within both the Towaoc and White Mesa communities.
The curfew is from 8 pm to 6 am, requiring all persons to stay in their homes except for emergencies, medical needs, retrieving supplies, employment, or transportation of children to and from extra-curricular activities.
Fines for breaking the curfew start at $150 for a first offense, $250 for a second offense, and $500 for a third offense.
Included in a third offense is an arrest and 30-days probation for Native American offenders, with all other offenders being immediately removed from the reservation with no right to return until authorized by the tribal council.
Subsequent offenses are subject to an additional $100 fine and additional charges.
The resolution also states that vehicles traveling in the reservation are subject to “stop at any time for the benefit of a welfare check in order to ensure that persons in the vehicle are not transporting alcohol or drugs, and to direct persons to go home.”
The resolution was passed by a council vote of five in favor to one opposed and no abstentions, with the curfew remaining in place until it is repealed by the council.