Body of female found in ditch

Navajo Nation Police officials are trying to determine the identify of a female whose body was discovered in a ditch behind the First American Credit Union on March 14.

Police have also not been able to determine if the cause of death was natural or if foul play was involved.

Police were called to the scene about 2:16 p.m. after an employee of the nearby FINA station said a man came up to him and reported that there was a body behind Church's Fried Chicken.

The body was actually a little east of there. Police have not released any description of the person who was found or any age estimates.

Police did say that the body was lying in a semi-fetal position and that her clothing was partly in disarray. A tennis shoe belonging to the victim was found near the body.

There were no injuries or blood on the body itself but when the body was later examined, old bruises were found in the back and buttock areas.

The FBI was notified and a decision was made to have an autopsy done to determine the cause of death.

Littlewater man charged with assault

A Littlewater, N.M., man was charged with aggravated assault on March 12 in connection with the assault of a Littlewater woman.

Police said they called to the site of the alleged assault - about five miles east of the Littlewater Store - about 3 p.m.

A family member said Trina Begay, 28, was found lying on the dirt road leading to her house.

She had severe in juries to her face, her left eye was swollen shut and she had a large laceration on her forehead caused by being struck with a two-by-four. Family members said she was also hit several times with a fist.

They named Enrique White, 29, as the person responsible for the injuries but by the time police arrived, he was nowhere in sight. Police said he was later found in the area hiding in some bushes.

Begay was transported to the Northern Navajo Medical Center for treatment.

Fruitland man stabbed

Police are investigating a stabbing that occurred on March 14 in the Fruitland, N.M., area.

Police were called to the scene after getting a report that Anthony Dale, 20, of Fruitland, had been stabbed. Family members had taken him to the San Juan Medical center.

Interviews with witnesses revealed that Dale had gotten into an argument with a 15-year old, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, and had been stabbed in the chest.

The case is still under investigation.

Show Low men accused of bank robberies

PHOENIX - Ronald Michael Capito, 52, and Joel Jay Glore, 51, both of Show Low, Ariz., have been arrested and charged by criminal complaint with eight counts of armed bank robbery, according to the U.S attorney's office.

Capito and Glore are suspected of being the "High Country Bandits," a duo responsible for a total of 16 armed bank robberies in Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico between September 2009 and February 2010.

The complaint alleges that Capito and Glore are responsible for robbing eight banks at gunpoint in Arizona. The banks are located in Heber, Flagstaff, Prescott Valley, Payson, Gold Canyon, and Pinetop.

In each robbery, the robber would enter the bank with a handgun, demand money from the teller(s), and order everyone to the ground. Often, the robber would flee the area with a second individual on an all-terrain vehicle.

A conviction for armed bank robbery carries a maximum penalty of 25 years, a $250,000 fine or both.

"These arrests are due to outstanding police work by FBI offices in northern Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, working with an array of police agencies in the Four Corners region to solve these crimes," said Dennis K. Burke, U.S. attorney for the District of Arizona. "We thank all of these agencies for their outstanding collaboration and look forward to prosecuting these defendants to the fullest extent of the law."

Family finds body of missing Cameron man

FLAGSTAFF - Family members have found the body of 53-year-old Roger Jones Cowboy of Cameron, Ariz., according to a news release from the Coconino County Sheriff's Office.

Cowboy's body was found in a rock outcropping located approximately 150 yards behind Hank's Trading Post (mile post 446 on U.S. Highway 89, approximately 27 miles north of Flagstaff).

Cowboy was last seen in the area on Feb. 18. He told a friend he was headed to the store at Gray Mountain to purchase alcohol. The friend did not report Cowboy missing until March 2.

Recently, a friend told the family he had been drinking with Cowboy in the rocky area behind the trading post sometime around Feb. 18. Family members checked the area and discovered Cowboy's body.

Investigators at the scene report there are no obvious signs of foul play or trauma. An autopsy will be scheduled to determine the cause and manner of death.

Gila River man gets 3 years for boy's death

PHOENIX - Jayal Howard, 40, of Sacaton, Ariz., was sentenced to three years in prison, after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter on Dec. 16, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

The facts showed that on July 11, 2008, Howard was driving a vehicle that contained three passengers, including a 12-year-old boy on the Gila River Indian Reservation.

Howard was intoxicated to a BAC level of .14 and was driving at an excessive speed when he came to a large pool of water on the roadway. Upon driving through the water, he lost control and rolled the vehicle. The victim was ejected and died at the scene.

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