Woman reports harassing telephone calls

A St. Michaels, Ariz., woman went to Navajo Police on Sept. 8 and reported that she was being stalked.

She told police that she received a sexual harassment call from an unknown man on her cell phone. The man said that he was watching her. She added that she had received a similar call in the past.

Police are investigating and information has been turned over to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Phoenix.

NHA offices burglarized

Officials for the Navajo Housing Authority reported a burglary to their offices in Window Rock.

When NHA officials came into work on Sept. 4, they discovered that at least two individuals had climbed over the property fence line and gained entry into the building through an air vent in the roof. They then broke through the sheet rock ceiling into a conference room.

Once inside, a safe was battered open and hundreds of dollars were stolen. An unspecified number of laptops were also stolen.

Police are still investigating, saying that some traces of DNA were left behind by the burglars.

Man dies in rollover

A one-vehicle rollover accident on Sept. 1 resulted in the death of a Ganado man.

The victim was identified as Gilbert Kinlichee, 68.

The accident occurred about 5.5 miles east of the Cornfield Chapter House on Navajo Route 15.

Police said preliminary investigations indicated that Kinlichee was traveling at a high rate of speed when he failed to negotiate a curve and lost control of his vehicle, overturning several times.

He was ejected from the vehicle and suffered fatal injuries.

Man threatens to shoot police

It began as a report of a man with a weapon but it was enough for both Navajo Nation and the McKinley County SWAT teams to be called out.

Tribal police were alerted by Metro Dispatch in Gallup of an incident at about 5 p.m. on Aug. 31 in the Twin Lakes, N.M., area.

The initial reports said that Ernest Gruber, 37, of Yah-Ta-Hey, N.M., and Louis Charley, no age or address given, were drinking and causing a disturbance in the Twin Lakes area off of U.S. 491.

Another call a few minutes later reported that Gruber had a gun and was threatening family members and saying that if he saw any police vehicles, he was going to shoot at them.

That's what got the SWAT teams called out but when they got to the house, Gruber agreed to surrender and came out with his hands over his head and was handcuffed without incident.

Police searched his home and found a .38-caliber handgun as well as .27-caliber rifle. He was booked for carrying a weapon and threatening.

Sacaton man sentenced '07 assaults

PHOENIX - Craig Miller, 21, of Sacaton, Ariz., was sentenced to six years in federal prison after pleading guilty Feb. 12 to aggravated assault. Co-defendant Alvin Miller was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Feb. 19 for his role in the offense, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

On April 11, 2007, Craig Miller and his uncle, Alvin, took a man into their home where they tied him up with bed sheets and beat him for several hours with their fists, feet, and a 20-pound barbell. Alvin Miller repeatedly threatened to kill the victim and the pair stole money and property from the victim.

Police were alerted to the victim's screams and responded to the house. When they arrived, the victim stumbled out the front door and fell to the ground while the defendants fled through a back door. The victim was severely beaten and suffered serious bodily injury as well as the loss of several teeth.

Tonalea man sentenced for Kayenta break-in

PHOENIX - Eric Lee Kinney, 23, of Tonalea, Ariz., was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison in connection with a 2008 break-in and truck theft in Kayenta.

He pleaded guilty to robbery April 21, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

On Dec. 8, 2008, Kinney, his co-defendant Ambrose Bennett, and a juvenile broke into the home of the victims and threatened them with an axe and knife. During the burglary, Kinney, Bennett and the juvenile stole the victims' Ford Ranger pick-up truck.

Bennett is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 19 after pleading guilty to burglary July 28.

Peach Springs man gets 16 years for murder

PHOENIX - Jonathan Bennie Yazzie Jr., 20, of Peach Springs, Ariz., was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for the 2008 killing of a Hualapai man.

Yazzie, a member of the Gila River Indian Community, pleaded guilty April 30 to second-degree murder, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

On Nov. 11, 2008, Yazzie came home intoxicated to his mother's trailer and kicked open the door while people inside were sleeping. After forcing himself in, Yazzie started fighting with his stepfather. The victim, 47, stepped in to stop Yazzie from hurting his stepfather and Yazzie turned on him.

Yazzie assaulted the victim, got him to the ground, and kicked the man in the head and body. Yazzie grabbed a wood-splitting maul or axe, and struck the victim in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Agents recovered the murder weapon outside the trailer and the defendant's bloody handprint was found on the maul.

At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Mary H. Murguia said the victim suffered a "brutal, violent death" and told Yazzie "what you did was unjustifiable."

In addition to the prison term, the court sentenced Yazzie to five years of supervised release and more than $3,000 in restitution to the family of the victim and the Mohave Valley Crime Victim Assistance Fund.

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