Family dispute leaves 1 dead

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A dispute between family members in Ganado left one dead, two more injured and two going to jail.

The incident took place on Jan. 31 at a home 1/2 mile west of the Conoco Station in Ganado. The person who died was identified as Travis Johnson, 24.

It began about 5:45 p.m. when police were called to the scene because of a knife fight.

Police learned later that the fight had broken out a little earlier that afternoon between Johnson and Judd Paul Young, 23. The fight was broken up and Young went back into his bedroom.

A little later, police said, Johnson returned to the house and kicked in the door to Young's bedroom. Upon entering the room, Johnson reportedly went to Steward Young, no age given, and stabbed him in the stomach. He then left the bedroom and went outside.

Stewart Young showed Judd Young his stab wound, at which time Judd Young walked to the door and started yelling at Johnson. The two exchanged words and Johnson then picked up a piece of firewood and used it to smash in the driver's side window to Judd Young's car.

Judd Young then approached Johnson and, according to police, got into a fist fight. During the fight, according to the police report, Judd Young stabbed Johnson several times. At the same time, Johnson was trying to stab Judd Young but Young was able to grab the blade of Johnson's knife, resulting in Young getting a cut on his hand.

While this was going on, Lindsey Young, no age given, and Francesca Willard, 22, described in the police report as common-law wives of Judd Young and Travis Johnson, began fighting each other and during this fight Lindsey Young received a stab wound to he arm.

At that point the fighting stopped and when police arrived, Johnson was deceased. Judd Young and Willard were arrested on aggravated battery charges.

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Child accidentally run over

A young child in Bird Springs, Ariz., died when he was accidentally run over by his grandfather on Jan. 27.

Nylo Benton, no age given, died shortly after the accident.

The Dilkon police responded to the call of a child being run over by a vehicle. At that point the child was being treated at the Leupp Clinic.

The grandfather, Ernest Benton, 51, told police that he last saw his grandson in the house and he went outside to go to Leupp to check his mail. As he was backing out of the driveway, he heard a child crying and stopped, at which point he saw his grandson lying under the truck.

Officers injured at basketball game

Two police officers were injured when they tried to arrest two men who were creating a disturbance at a basketball game at the Dilkon Community School.

The police were called to the game about 4:10 p.m. on Jan. 28 by security guards who said that Marvin Wagner, 37, of Leupp, and Starsky Wagner, 33, of Birdsprings, were causing trouble.

When police arrived, the two were told they were going to be arrested but during the handcuffing, one of the suspects (which one was not said) began resisting and fighting the officers.

One of the officers received an injury to his right knee and the other, a female officer, was injured on one of her fingers after one of the suspects grabbed her hair.

Police said they had to use pepper spray to get the suspects into handcuffs. Both were charged with obstructing justice.

Officer on leave facing federal charges

Police officials said that Sgt. Calvert Tsosie continues to be on paid administrative leave in connection with a vehicle rollover that occurred in October 2009 near Tuba City.

Details of the incident were not available but police confirmed that he was charged in a federal warrant for endangerment of a child and has been on leave since early January.

Crystal woman dies from hypothermia

A Crystal, N.M., woman died on Jan. 28 of hypothermia when her car got stuck in the snow and she tried to walk to safety.

The victim was identified as Katherine Polacca, 87.

Her body was found by a man who was grading the road behind the Brown residence in Crystal. Police said Pollaca apparently was driving to that residence when her car got stuck in the snow and she tried walking to the house. He body was discovered about 200 feet from the vehicle.

Sawmill man charged with battery

A Sawmill, Ariz., man was charged with battery in a case where the father of the victim came to her assistance.

Police said they were called to a domestic dispute on Jan. 10 in Sawmill.

According to witnesses, the father, Anselm Bia, 52, of Sawmill, was at work when his daughter, Winona Bia, 27, called him and said that Jaken Shorty, 26, was "acting out."

When he got to the house, he saw his daughter being hit and intervened, hitting Shorty with a piece of firewood. Shorty left the house at that point and police later found him nearby and arrested him for aggravated battery.

Winona Bia was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for injuries to her cervical spine, a broken wrist and a nose fracture.

Police officer involved in domestic violence case

Another domestic violence case, this one involving a Navajo Nation police officer, resulted in the officer being arrested.

The incident occurred in Tuba City on Jan. 25. It began with a phone call from Robert Scwartz, a non-Indian, 36, calling police for help.

He said he got into an argument with his wife, Corrina Thinn, 33, a police officer, and during the argument she hit him with her extended baton, causing an injury to his right radius area.

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