Pinedale man charged with vehicular homicide

A Pinedale, N.M., man has been charged with vehicular homicide in connection with the death of a Mariano Lake, N.M., man on March 12.

Kale Yazzie, 21, was also charged with numerous other crimes, including DWI, reckless driving, no driver's license, following too closely, and possession of liquor.

The victim was identified by police as Lester Bennett, 53.

According to witnesses, Bennett was driving on Navajo Route 11/49 near Mariano Lake about 6:53 p.m. when Yazzie's vehicle came up behind him.

One witness told police that Yazzie was driving recklessly and chased Bennett's car off the road. Another witness agreed that Yazzie was driving recklessly but said Yazzie's car ran into Bennett's vehicle.

Bennett was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rapper injured in freak accident

Latin rapper Down A.K.A. Kilo, who was appearing at the Big City nightclub in Farmington this past weekend, was injured in a freak accident on Saturday.

Leonard Kellywood, a Fruitland promoter, said Kilo was traveling in a car with two other people when the car swerved and somehow the door opened, throwing Kilo onto the street.

Kellywood said the car was going about 35 to 40 mph at the time and Kilo, who is from Ventura County, Calif., suffered a head fracture and went into a coma that lasted several hours.

"The doctors are saying that it is a miracle because you don't come out of a coma that quickly," said Kellywood.

On Wednesday, Kilo was still recuperating in the San Juan Medical Center in Farmington. But he was expected to be released in a couple of days.

The rapper is best known for his song "Lean Like a Cholo" and had just released "Cholo Skate" in early March.

His management team said that they would be putting updates of his condition on his website which is www.myspace.com/kiloakadown/

Cash, checks stolen from NAPI office

Tribal police are trying to solve the mystery of who broke into the safe at the Navajo Agriculture Products Industry's Region II scale office near Fruitand, N.M., and stole more than $20,000 in cash and checks.

Chris Yazzie, the safety officer for NAPI, told police on March 22 that someone had gotten into the safe sometime during the previous day and removed three bags of cash and checks collected by the office on March 20 and 21.

There were no signs of forced entry into the building and there was no damage done to the safe which led to police asking how many employees had keys to the building and how many knew the combination of the safe.

Police were told that while several people had keys to the building, only three knew the safe's combination.

The criminal investigation unit at Shiprock is continuing to investigate the burglary but police said they have no suspects at this time.

Argument leads to shots fired

It began as a lot of shouting and a domestic dispute but ended up with a Cuba man firing several shots at two women with a rifle.

Police said the incident occurred about 1.5 miles northeast of the Ojo Encino Chapter House about 10 p.m. on March 24.

Priscilla Augustine, 47, and Jones Lee Sam, 40, both of Cuba, N.M., got into a verbal fight with Augustine leaving the house.

She returned a short time later with Mary Nelson, 21, of Cuba to pick up some of her personal property.

Augustine later told police that it was at that time that Sam attacked her, punching her body. Sam then picked up a semi-automatic caliber rifle that was located next to the door and Augustine and Sam struggled to gain control of it. Sam won the battle.

Augustine and Nelson then ran away from the residence and Sam allegedly fired more than seven times but neither was hit. The two managed to get away and called police.

By the time police arrived at the scene, Sam had barricaded himself inside his residence and refused to talk to police. Police officials said they had no choice but to force entry into the building, which they did, and arrested Sam without any further problems.

No injuries were reported in Sam's arrest.

Inscription House family reports shots fired

Another shooting incident occurred on March 30 in the Inscription House, Ariz., area and again there were no reported injuries.

Police were told to come to the Hurley residence in the Inscription House area because of reports of shots being fired.

When they got there, Larry Hurley, 19, and other members of the family told police that one of their neighbors, identified as Jim Nelson Jr., no age given, had used a high-powered rifle to shoot at their home.

Police said evidence indicated that several shots were fired with some hitting the roof of the house and others hitting a tree near the house where members of the family were working on a truck.

One of the bullets reportedly missed Larry Hurley, no age given, by inches.

Fire destroys trailer in Cameron

A fire that occurred in the Cameron, Ariz., area on March 30 totally destroyed a trailer.

Police and firemen were called to a residence about a half mile west of Speedy's convenience store in Cameron just after midnight on March 30.

When police arrived, they saw that the travel-sized trailer owned by Sarah Mann, 51, had been completely destroyed by fire.

The owner's daughter told police that the fire may have been caused by a candle that was left lit in the trailer.

Wind damages trailer in Birdsprings

Another trailer was damaged in the Birdsprings, Ariz., area on March 22 but the culprit wasn't a fire but high winds.

Dilkon police reported a female caller who asked for officers to meet with Harry Kee Yazzie, no age given, at his trailer which had been damaged by high winds.

When police got there, they saw that the west side roof on the trailer had been torn off, exposing the framing and wiring.

Kan., Neb. women arrested

Two women from Kansas and Nebraska were arrested by Navajo Police on drug charges.

Tribal police seized a quantity of marijuana and money - how much was not listed in the police report - during a search of a car that was stopped on Interstate 40 near Lupton, Ariz.

When the two - Elizabeth Jane Murphy, 25, of Maryville, Kan., and Danielle Distad of Lincoln, Neb. - were stopped, they showed certain signs of criminal behavior, leading to a search of their vehicle.

Police said the two were apparently on their way to Phoenix to buy illegal drugs which they were planning to take back with them to Kansas. The two were turned over to the Apache County Sheriff's Department.

Teesto man gets 5 years for shooting

PHOENIX - Philbert Johnson Slim, 33, of Teesto, Ariz., was sentenced March 31 to five years in federal prison, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Slim pleaded guilty on Dec. 10, 2008, to possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, which occurred in Teesto, Ariz., on the Navajo Nation.

On June 15, 2008, Slim became upset with the victim and his brothers after he believed they broke the windows out in his house while he was sleeping. Slim took a gun to the victim's home and shot the victim in the face, resulting in serious injuries.

Whiteriver man sentenced to 3 years for stabbing

PHOENIX - Lavan Edwards Jr., 19, of Whiteriver, Ariz., was sentenced on March 30 to three years in federal prison, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Edwards pleaded guilty on Dec. 10, 2008, to one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury, which occurred in Whiteriver on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.

On July 9, 2008, Edwards was intoxicated at a party and he and the victim got into an altercation. Edwards left the party and returned with a knife. He stabbed the victim in the neck and the abdomen four times.

Due to the serious bodily injuries, the victim had to be hospitalized and underwent surgery but eventually recovered.

Kayenta man sentenced for assault

PHOENIX - Leander Earl Yellow, 23, of Kayenta, Ariz., was sentenced March 25 to 41 months in federal prison, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

The sentence also includes substance abuse treatment and anger management counseling and will be followed by close supervision under strict terms for three years after Yellow is released from prison. Yellow pleaded guilty on Nov. 25, 2008, to assault with a dangerous weapon.

In March 2008, Yellow assaulted a member of a rival gang in Kayenta on the Navajo Nation by stabbing him in the back after a confrontation. In sentencing Yellow, the court observed that this offense followed a long history of gang activity and substance abuse.

Mesa women indicted for theft from casino (sub)

PHOENIX - A federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a one-count indictment March 24 against Jeraldine Ann Kay, 45, of Mesa, Ariz., charging her with theft by an officer or employee of a gaming establishment on Indian lands, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

The indictment alleges that from Sept. 2 through Sept. 16, 2008, Kay stole in excess of $1,000 while working as a cashier at the Fort McDowell Casino gift shop. Kay has been summoned to appear in federal court but no date has been set for that appearance.

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