Stick-up stunt nets 2 men 3 charges

W as it a bank robbery? Or was it a stunt?

Navajo Nation police describe what went on in Chinle at 2:40 p.m. on Jan. 5 as "attempted bank robbery."

It began with a report to police dispatch about two men who walked into the Wells Fargo Bank and said, "This is a stickup."

When police arrived, they saw four men in front of the Chinle Burger King. At that time, police were told Gregg Warner, 25, of Blue Gap, Ariz., and Brian Benally, 21, of Rough Rock, Ariz., were the suspects they were seeking.

Police took all four to the bank where employees identified Warner and Benally as the ones responsible for uttering the classic phrase.

They said Benally walked into the bank and stood in front of the glass entrance door while Warner went to the merchant's line, turned around and announced, "This is a stickup."

The two then walked out of the building and headed toward the post office.

Police arrested them on tribal charges of threatening, robbery and criminal nuisance.

Exposure suspected in 2 deaths

Tribal police are investigating the Jan. 9 death of two men, possibly by exposure, in Tuba City.

The two were identified as Willard Tsosie, 55, and Jerry Zahney, 51. Their bodies were found by a passerby in a field just south of the BIA housing complex.

Zahney was found face up and partially clothed. Police said he had apparently removed some of his clothes prior to his death, which can occur during end-stage hypothermia when the victim becomes delusional.

Identification for both men was found on Tsosie's body. Zahney had no ID on him.

Seizure blamed for crash

Two people were injured Jan. 7 when a Nazlini, Ariz., man fell ill while driving and struck another car at the junction of Navajo Route 27 and Navajo Route 7.

Marvin Bahe, 46, of Nazlini, told police that he was on his way to Basha's Supermarket about 9:45 a.m. when he had a seizure and collided with a car driven by Juanita Preston, no age given, of Chinle.

Both injured parties were transported to the Chinle hospital for treatment and then flown to the Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix for further treatment.

Tohlakai women injured

A Tohlakai, N.M., woman was airlifted to Albuquerque after she was struck by a car Jan. 9 while arguing with her boyfriend near Buffalo Springs, N.M.

Romeo Maryboy, 34, of Kirtland, N.M., told police that he and his girlfriend, Shauna Cadman, 29, were arguing in her car when he decided to get out and hitchhike back home because he was tired of arguing.

He said Cadman then parked her vehicle and tried to get him to return to it. When he declined, she got out and crossed the street to where he was. She was on her way back to her car when she was struck by a passing vehicle.

The driver of that vehicle, who was not identified in the police report, said the victim just appeared in front of him and although he tried to avoid her, it was too late. "It happened so quick," the driver said.

The driver was not cited by police, who said that alcohol was not a factor in the accident.

2 held in New Year's Eve bust

A vehicle pursuit on Navajo Route 59 near Chilchinbeto, Ariz., ended in the arrest of two people for alcohol-related violations on New Year's Eve.

It began about 6:12 p.m. when police tried to stop a car on U.S. Highway 160 east of Kayenta. The driver refused to stop, leading police on a chase with speeds exceeding 80 mph and nearly colliding with another vehicle.

The driver then turned south on Navajo Route 59, accelerating to speeds exceeding 90 mph. The driver eventually stopped at milepost 33 but then took off again, driving towards an oncoming vehicle that was forced to yield in order to avoid a collision.

The vehicle being pursued then left the road, crashed into a right-of-way fence and got stuck.

Police then approached and demanded that the two people inside the car get out. Police said the command was given several times and ignored, forcing them to bring in a K-9 dog to persuade the male - later identified as Davis White, 26, of Chilchinbeto - to cooperate.

Once the dog was involved, Davis agreed to give up, as did the woman in the car, identified as Priscilla White, no age given, of Kayenta. They were charged with reckless driving and aggravated assault.

Police said both were under the influence of alcohol, and they recovered a large amount of liquor in the vehicle.

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